The towers of “Water Towers” are made of 252 stacked water bottles, illuminated by colored lights, which shift color in sync with music. The ice inside the bottles popping and cracking can be heard walking through the exhibit due to recent temperature fluctuations. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
“Oreum” is a collection of small, acryllic wind turbines secured in flowerbeds in a windy area of the Arboretum. Large sections are lit with the same color, which shifts periodically, making the landscape is a transforming array of colored light. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
“Chindi” is one of two indoor exhibits in the “Winter Light” display. Munro drew inspiration from dust devils in Australia, he said in his description of the piece. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
“Reflections” is five digital light animations, part of Munro’s larger work called “Light and Language” which is inspired by Morse code and language. Munro is influenced by language, literature, science and music, he said in his Arboretum biography. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum lights up this winter with British artist Bruce Munro’s Winter Lights exhibit. This display, “Oreum,” is meant to simulate the Arboretum in growing season with vivid, ever-changing colors. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
“Minnesota Gathering” is an audio-visual exhibit created with 75,000 plastic clothes pins, color coded by species. Munro used blue tubes, which run between the trees to harvest sap at the Arboretum as a perch for tropical birds in the humorous exhibit, various bird calls echo among the trees. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
“Rhadamanthine Club” consists of hay bales wrapped in vinyl and reflecting light. The piece is a circle of large owl eyes in orange, green and one pink, which periodically blink at viewers. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
“The Good Seed” is constructed from 19 lampposts and blue lights gently illuminating the piece to give the illusion of a snowy setting. The piece was inspired by the C.S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, the “eternally burning Victorian iron lamppost rooted in the middle of a silent snow laden forest,” was a significant feature, Munro said in his description of the piece. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
British artist Bruce Munro’s seven-piece light exhibit, “Winter Lights,” at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum shines bright through the dark months of winter. The “Oreum,” “Rhadamanthine Club” and “Reflections” sections made their world premieres in this exhibition.
Munro frequently draws inspiration from the C.S. Lewis “Chronicles of Narnia” novels. His biggest challenge in creating this display for the Arboretum was combatting the northern climate and extremely low temperatures, which required two of the pieces to be displayed inside, Munro said in his description of the collection in the Arboretum pamphlet.
Natalie Hall can be reached at hall0224@stthomas.edu.