October 3, 2024
When I flew to Seattle for the Puget Sound flight in July, I spent one morning at Chihuly Garden and Glass, a celebratory exhibit of Dale Chihuly’s glass art and sculpture. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly is the most famous glass artist in the glass-making mecca of the Pacific Northwest.
With its quirky, organic shape and vibrant colors that sparkle in the sunlight, Chihuly glass blends well with plants. I’ve seen exhibitions at gardens all over the country, including the Desert Botanical Garden, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the Dallas Arboretum. So I was interested in seeing Chihuly’s glass and garden showcase in downtown Seattle.
Let’s start with the garden. Blue spears, spheres, and swirls surrounded by greenery give it an otherworldly appearance.
The green spiral “horn” is reminiscent of a seashell.
A wriggling solar flare sculpture is the queen of the garden. Standing on a dogbashiri covered in black mondo grass, it appears to be twisting and pulsating in the light.
Sometimes, when I look at this glass, I am reminded of the long, thin balloons that children’s entertainers twist to create balloon animals. You can almost hear the squeak and squeak.
Seattle just endured a heatwave in early July, so flowers were a little sparse. But the eryngiums and geraniums were blooming and harmonizing with the blue glass.
Towering over the gardens is Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, which looks like something out of The Jetsons. A bristling tower of chartreuse glass rises in response.
Elsewhere, red “trumpets” are gathered in separate towers.
A winding glass “cobra” wriggles behind a golden flower bed.
The spiraling green horns are in harmony with the yellow-flowering Santorina.
Cobras and horns — or do you see something different?
Spears of lavender sparkle in a woodland garden of ferns and tree stumps.
Hydrangeas add a lavender scent to the decaying logs.
A smoldering, wavy spear gleams next to a reddish trunk with peeling bark.
Freckled lilies add even more orange to the scene.
One more thing
The chunky purple tower is actually made of translucent plastic and is the only non-glass piece on display.
Inside the arch-roofed greenhouse, a 100-foot-long glass “flower” piece is suspended from the ceiling, allowing sunlight to filter through the yellow and red blooms.
It’s truly monumental.
Inside the museum
Inside the museum, Chihuly glass is displayed to spectacular effect in a black room, like a boat loaded with glass on a reflective, water-like surface.
It’s like Santa’s sleigh full of Christmas balls. Or even an alien planet that corresponds to the galaxy.
Chihuly glass revels in color and energy. The more the better, the more aesthetics it is.
Party Boat is here!
In another room, a carnival of colorful spikes and spears can be seen hoisted like parade floats.
Kapaa!
more cobra
persian ceiling
The Persian Ceiling was my favorite room, with its rainbow colored walls and stained glass ceiling.
When lit from above, colorful glass is placed on a transparent glass ceiling. Pieces float above my head like rippling jellyfish.
Here’s a video of the dizzying effect: Turn on the sound and you’ll hear the accompaniment of Austin’s Black Pumas.
Glass angels appear whimsically in works reminiscent of sea urchins and other sea creatures.
Stripes of color spread across the walls.
Another floating angel making technicolor dreams come true
Sealife Room
In the Sea Life Room, an hourglass-shaped tower draws inspiration from Puget Sound natives, including starfish, octopuses, conch shells, sea anemones, sea urchins, and manta rays.
You can look for them up close in the moving blue glass “water.”
winter shine
In the Winter Brilliance room, frozen icicles evoke an icy world. According to the sign’s description, these pieces were “commissioned by Barneys New York for the Madison Avenue Holiday Window Display in 2015.”
I forgot to take a photo of the gift shop, but it’s actually quite nice, selling a variety of glass objects, as well as books, puzzles, scarves, lamps, and more that evoke the vibrant colors and energy of Chihuly glass. I did.
pop culture museum
Next to Chihuly Garden and Glass stands this magical building, the Museum of Pop Culture. According to its website:
“The architecture of the MOPOP building is inspired by the energy, movement, and fluidity of the art this building exists to celebrate. A symphony of textures, myriad colors, and fluid design elements, unlike any other. It creates a visual experience like no other.
Comprised of 21,000 individually cut and formed stainless steel and painted aluminum shingles, 3,000 panels cover the building’s exterior, reacting to changing light conditions and changing when viewed from different angles. By appearing to change, it reminds audiences that music and culture are forever evolving. .
MOPOP’s architect, Frank O. Gehry, used computer-assisted three-dimensional interactive applications (CATIA) to create the building. He was the first architect to use this. ”
It is a must-see, especially for those interested in architecture.
Next up is the lush rainforest and coastal beauty of Olympic National Park in Western Washington. Click here to review our visit to Gillian Matthews’ gardens in Seattle.
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