Kew Gardens and Marc Quinn

I think sometimes I underestimate the amount of time it takes to adjust to an 8-hour time difference so was rather shocked to see that I had slept until 10:00am. We had reservations at Kew Gardens, not time sensitive, thank goodness. There were two guided tours of the featured exhibit by Marc Quinn, one at 12:30 and one at 2:00. Since it's a 45 minute journey we decided to opt for the later tour and allow ourselves time for a leisurely coffee.

We got the tube to Kew and walked down the lovely street that leads to the garden. We headed toward the tour meeting point to sign up for the 2:00 tour but were told that the 2:00 tour is only offered in the summer. Wish they had specified that on the website when I bought my tickets. I hadn't thought to recheck. Why would you? Oh well, we'd miss the commentary, but we could still see the art.

Marc Quinn is a contemporary British artist who explores "what it is to be human in the world today," according to his website. For this Kew installation, "Light into Life," he has created 17 stunning stainless steel and bronze sculptures around the Gardens and one of the glass houses as well as art pieces for the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens.

According to the Kew Gardens website,

Marc Quinn has long been interested in the links between nature and humanity, and this exhibition brings that complex relationship to life. The mirrored effect of many of the stainless-steel sculptures blurs the boundaries between the viewer, the sculpture and the landscape, giving every visitor a unique experience of the artworks. Their reflection encourages viewers to see themselves as a part of the artwork and a part of the landscape. 

Not only are the artworks a feast for the eyes, they also offer a chance to discover more about the many ways that plants form an essential part of human life. Quinn has been working in close collaboration with Kew scientists and horticulturists to explore more about plants and their incredible forms and shapes, using significant plants from across our collections to inspire his work.  

The pieces are really stunning and have such a playful aspect. Do you want to be reflected in the flowers? Do you want to disappear?

House of Bellona Reflection:

These pieces are massive, by the way.

Singularity (Bismarckia):

It was interesting walking around the gardens having visited the Christmas display here last year. As we walked down the paths I'd say, "Remember - this was where the light tunnel was" or Bruce would say, "This is where the lanterns were hanging." We have reservations for the Christmas display this year as well. I'll be interested in seeing if it's the same as last year.

Event Horizon (Sabal):

Even though we were looking for the art installations, the rest of the garden couldn't help but impress.

Singularity (Sabal):

Light Into Life (Sobralia):

After seeing the silvered stainless steel pieces it was a surprise to see the bronze pieces in the greenhouse.

Held by Desire (The Dimensions of Freedom):

Held by Desire (Cloud Garden):

One of the glass houses is so massive that you can take the stairs up to the top and get a panoramic view of the plants.

Light Into Life (The Release of Oxygen):

Light Into Life (The Morphology of Forms):

The Dimensions of Freedom (Cloud Garden):

Held by Desire (Flying Dragon):

Our Botanic Selves (Happy Tree):

Our Botanic Selves (Pacific Yew):

Photobombed!

Our Botanic Selves (Turmeric):

Our Botanic Selves (Opium Poppy):

One of the things I love about Kew Gardens is the collection of massive old-growth trees. It's hard to establish scale in these photos, but they had to be several hundred feet tall.

There's a wonderful pagoda in the garden which one can climb (for an additional fee.) We didn't.

It does have the most wonderful dragon decorations which decrease in scale at each level.

Burning Desire:

There were lots of lovely colchicum (autumn crocus) along the paths.

I loved this sign.

More gorgeous trees.

There were a few roses still in bloom. This one is "Dame Judy Dench."

We went to the lily pond greenhouse which was as spectacular as ever.

There was an Amazon lily pad that had been inverted, sitting on the grass. So interesting.

I loved this sculpture among the trees called "Leaf Spirit."

As we walked around the garden we came toa wonderful interactive piece called The Hive. It's enormous, about 2 stories high. We first say it at the Christmas light display, but now I got to learn what it was about. When you're inside, you can see lights blinking on and off and hear a sort of a droning hum.

Image from LightMetalAge.com:

The hive seen from below:

The Hive installation reproduces different levels of vibrations that are recorded from inside a living honeybee hive at Kew Gardens. The pulsing of nearly 1,000 LED lights and the swell of orchestral music mirror the changing intensity of the recorded vibrations. Honeybees buzz in the key of C, so this soundscape does, too.

Finally we came to the last Marc Quinn sculpture, Our Botanic Selves (Himalayan May Apple)

As we started our walk back we passed a folly originally built in 1759. At that time, it was considered very fashionable to have a ruin which would enhance a garden's natural look. It also had a practical purpose: the arch doubled as a bridge which local farmers used to lead their cattle and sheep into the estate to graze.

At this point Bruce set off on a pub crawl. I continued on to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery where there was more artwork by Marc Quinn. Among the pieces I liked best were these vivid oil paintings.

This incredible sculpture almost didn't happen. Marc Quinn cast it time and again and each time the glass would crack. An acrylic double was made but at the last minute the glass version was successfully completed.

This version was made with silicone oil, stainless steel and commercially available animal blood.

The Chromatic Nurseries of El Dorado (bronze and acrylic paint):

All in all it was quite a stimulating and enjoyable day.