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20,000 Lights Create A Glowing Wonderland

Bruce Munro illuminates the internet with our exclusive video and GIF series.

Over the years multimedia artist Bruce Munro has built a reputation most artists would commit a biblical sin for. Known internationally for his large-scale light installations that both challenge our ideas of how far the medium can be pushed, and how organic the results can be, Munro has been widely recognized as one of the most exciting artists currently working with illuminated materials. As part of his newest project for the Cheekwood Gardens in Nashville, the creator has built hundreds of miles of incandescent optic fiber, giving the illusion of glowing fields of light. Walking through a series of nine individual installations, visitors are literally transported into a fantasy world comprised of tens of thousands of shimmering structures.

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As part of our exclusive video (above), the light master talks about unusual inspiration, the power of luminescence, and his mysterious time in the desert.

For those unable to travel to Nashville to see the project before it closes Nov 10th, we've put together a few GIFS (below) to help demonstrate the pieces coming to life:

One of the most exciting parts of Bruce Munro's installation is the Field of Light, created out of 20,000 lighted glass spheres reminiscent of electric dandelions, each radiating in unison.

Created out of frosted glass spheres, acrylic rods mounted on stakes, bare optic fiber, and halogen light sources with hand-painted color wheels, Field of Light has been providing Nashville residents the chance to step into a virtual wonderland right in their own backyards.

The Blue Moon (below) creates an otherworldly landscape as it sits on a dry lake within the Japanese garden. 5' in diameter, the Blue Moon hovers like an extraterrestrial spacecraft over the tranquil surroundings. Created using clear acrylic spheres, acrylic polymer fiber, and stainless steel, the simplicity of Munro's materials is offset by his complexity of vision.

Containing 40 lit structures built from one-liter plastic bottles, fitted with laser-cut wood panels and fiber optics, connected to an LED projector and sound system,  Water-Towers (below) provides an intimate moment for visitors.

"Without light nothing exists. It's how we see the world."-Bruce Munro

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Light Reservation(below) consists of a series of tipi-like installations created from 60w fluorescent tubes, 12v electric fence modules, polymer filters, and polycarbonate tubes.

A gallery set up inside the Museum of Art at Cheekwood contains six small-scale floor and wall mounted pieces, debuting works especially created for this project (below).

Fused out of copper tube, brass stakes, acrylic polymer fiber optic cable, Munro's Fireflies (below) adds radiance to the forest surrounding Cheekwood.

Light by Bruce Munro is on view until 11pm | May 24 – November 10

Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, TN Cheekwood.org

Bruce Munro