Observed
Cloudy days made the fiber optics visible long before sunset.
Visitors looked up before they looked down.
The conservatory sounded different after closing.
Patterns in Bloom
New England Botanic Garden
Boylston, Massachusetts
Solo exhibition
Single-use plastic bags, fiber optics, stainless steel, thread
Variable dimensions
2024
Commissioned by New England Botanic Garden, Patterns in Bloom transformed two conservatories into a suspended landscape of illuminated orchid sculptures. Following multiple site visits, the installation was developed in response to the architecture of the conservatories, using the open space above visitors to extend the experience of the orchid collection rather than compete with it. More than sixty sculptures were installed throughout the exhibition, with large-scale works suspended overhead and smaller sculptures woven among living orchids at eye level, creating different encounters as visitors moved through the gardens and as light changed throughout the day.
Field Notes
The flowers already had the ground.
The empty space was overhead.
The architecture suggested the installation before I designed it.
Light changed the work more than I did.
Most installation days started after class.
Alone in the conservatory surrounded by life.
The last sculptures were installed while winter was still outside.
February 2024
