There isn't a whole lot to do in our town during the summer, unless you own a boat or an airplane. So when The Paine, our local "cultural" center, announced they were getting all lit up and fancy - both house and garden - we had to check it out!
The installation is a collaboration of geometric sculptures by HYBYCOZO, the Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone and Lightswitch, an experimental lighting and visual design studio. They have done projects around the world from the Smithsonian to Burning Man and Disney, so it was definitely not the normal summer arts event in our neck of the woods.
Who knew it was possible to cast such intricate shadows?
It reminded me a little of the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit from a few years ago. I didn't get around to seeing that but I really like the idea of expanding one work of art to cover an entire room.
In the library next door, the plaster work of the ceiling was traced with different colors and filled in with varying patterns. Very psychedelic. The additional shadow patterns are coming from a sculpture sitting on the desk in the back corner.
Across the hall in the dining room things were looking a little spooky.
Maybe it's the blue light bulbs but I'm getting some Haunted Mansion vibes.
What light show would be complete without a fountain full of disco balls?
No space was left unshadowed!
This small sculpture replaced the light in the powder room.
Outside, the sculptures got a little bigger and the moon rose to the occasion.
Would you call these sculptures life-size?
The exhibit opened the day before our son Andy and his wife Kristin arrived for a visit and they were very good sports about posing for photos.
The view from the inside.
Quite a few of the outdoor sculptures were suspended for maximum impact.
You could spin them and make yourself really dizzy watching the patterns move under your feet.
Then, if you fell down, all you had to do was look up at the sky where a dozen searchlights were sweeping the clouds. Really, they thought of everything.
On the trees, statues and fountains there was a constantly changing rainbow of lights, not exactly the Bellagio but pretty all the same. Wish they sold a fountain like this at Lowes.
Finally, even the beer came in color changing plastic cups.
Now that's attention to detail!
If you're in the area, The Nature of Light: An Exploration After Dark runs through October 30, 2022. Why they're not keeping it open on Halloween is a good question, it's probably a staffing issue and they're also normally closed on Mondays. We will probably go again next month, it would be great if they made it a permanent summer event!
I hope you are all doing well. His Madness and I have recovered from covid and want to thank you all so much for your concern and well wishes. If the ginormous spiders everywhere are any indication, spooky season is here and the Skeleton Crew can't wait to be back as the stars of the show!
Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!
