Bruce Munro at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tennesse

Although I was traveling to Nashville to see Alt J perform at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, I got to experience the added wonder of Bruce Munro's light installation at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  This is the second time that a concert at the Ryman has also provided me an opportunity to see a spectacular show at the Cheekwood Gardens - the last time was in 2010 for Arcade Fire when I saw a massive outdoor Chihuly installation there.  The Chihuly exhibit was incredible, but there was something magical and sublime that made Munro's installation even better - it was designed to be viewed at night!

There were many highlights.  For my traveling companion, it was Light Reservation, an assembly of the teepee-like structures made of brightly colored spent fluorescent lights.  It's stark simplicity created a hauntingly silent Native American camp.  The reflecting pool nearby multiplied the visual impact. 

“The installation is about my enthusiasm for the imagination; but I also hope that Light Reservation presents people with an opportunity to ponder both the good and bad aspects of our recent history.”
– Bruce Munro 

photo from Cheekwood website

photo: Mark Pickhall from www.designboom.com

Please visit Design Boom to see all Mark Pickthall's excellent photos of Light Reservations and also Fagin's Urchins.


For me, the definite highlight was off the beaten path, to the right side of the old Cheekwood mansion, near the Burr Terrace Garden.  Munro had created another Field of Light, a signature installation that he has done before.  After going through all the other parts of the exhibition, it was a total relief to find peace and tranquility far from the crowd in this expansive Field of Light.  A thunderstorm that almost forced us to cancel our trip to the gardens was just starting to roll in, adding natural electric energy to the calm but charged field of artificial lights.

The Field of Light requires video to understand the super subtle "waves of grain" effect by the computer programmed lights.  This time-lapse video shows the complex set-up and illumination of the Field of Light.


Bruce Munro discusses the installation in this Creator's Project video below.  My favorite part of this interview is were Munro cheerily discusses the teepees - I don't think he fully understands the weight and the depth of the destruction of the Native American cultures by European settlers.  His story of using "redundant" fluorescent lights to protect his wife's chickens demonstrates the often winding road from observation to application in an artist's mind.

100 years of water - Exploring LA's Aqueduct

Recently I flew to LA to visit an old friend, Lou Pesce, who works at the Metabolic Studio with artist Lauren Bon.  He is instrumental in coordinating and planning for the many projects that the Metabolic Studio has produced, which focus on bringing awareness to community issues in the Los Angeles area.  Lou and I traveled to Owens Valley where 100 years ago an aqueduct was built to carry water to the tiny city of Los Angeles.  Because of the water that the aqueduct brings to the area, Los Angeles has grown into the metropolis that it is today. 

In celebration of the centennial of the aqueduct's opening on November 5, 1913, the Metabolic Studio is organizing a 100 mule march along the entire length of the water's journey. Without the labor of the mules the aqueduct would not exist.




The final portion of the expedition will take place in the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles. The procession will arrive at the Cascades, where the Aqueduct ends, on Nov. 5, 2013, to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the aqueduct.

We traveled up Highway 395, which trails alongside the Aqueduct, to the beginning of LA's water supply at Owens River just north of Independence. Owens Valley is an arid valley with the Owens River nestled between the Sierra Nevadas to the west and the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains in the east.  The Sierra Nevadas create a rain shadow in the Owens Valley, creating a desert-like climate through which the Aqueduct runs.  This place is the setting for the California Water Wars, which  began when the Aqueduct was being planned and continued during construction.

Lou had already been to most of the places we visited, but he was also scouting new locations for events along the journey of the mule team.  We explored the headwaters of the aqueduct, where large gates control the flow of water from the Owens River, and where all the mules will begin their journey. We visited the Eastern California Museum in Independence which has a commemorative photography exhibit about the building of the Aqueduct. 

We ended up back in LA at the Cascades, the terminal end of the Aqueduct and the most visually appealing part.  The builders constructed an artificial waterfall by lining the bottom of the Aqueduct with concrete steps, creating a turbulent "cascade" as the water rushes down the mountains into Los Angeles.  The whole journey really brings an appreciation of the complex and delicate system that brings water to millions of people.  Exactly the kind of appreciation the Metabolic Studio is trying to create with the 100 mule march along the path of the LA Aqueduct.

The Cascades in 1913

The Cascades in 2013