“Bruce Munro: LIGHT” is on view through November 5, 2017, in the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens, 1354 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois.

It features eight large-scale sculptures, including Munro’s iconic “Field of Light” and “Water-Towers.” Two new works will also debut: “Sun,” a monumental globe, suspended inside the Conservatory, and “Don’s Flamingos,” a playful homage to the designer of the pink lawn flamingo, Don Featherstone. This is the first time “Don’s Flamingos” has ever been exhibited in the United States.

There is also an exhibition of photographic prints in the Lobby, depictions of Bruce’s artwork installed across the world.

Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There’s complete information online.

British artist Bruce Munro is best known for producing large immersive light-based installations, which often employ a massing of components by the thousands. An artistic diarist, he has spent more than 30 years collecting and recording ideas and images in his sketchbooks, which he returns to over time as source material. Language, literature, science, and music have also greatly influenced his work.

Fast Facts about “Bruce Munro: LIGHT”
• The exhibition was created in the UK over a period of 12 months before shipping to the US
• It took over 3,100 hours to design and build in the UK and over 3,100 hours to recreate on
site
• 5 Studio Art Technicians, 4 US based art handlers and up to 20 volunteers are involved in
the installation over a period of four weeks
• Over 110,000 meters of fiber optics are used in the installation with over 80 miles of walking
needed to prepare the fiber for the artworks
• The exhibition contains over 60,000 individual component parts. Many of the parts are reusable
and will be put to good use in future installations.
• The distance between the Bruce Munro Studio and the exhibition site is 3,914 miles
• The entire installation uses 4,739 watts of electricity per day which is about the same as an
average American household uses in a day. All the lamps and projectors used are LED
technology.

Eight Fast Facts about Each Individual Art Installation:
1) Field of Light comprises 8,000 stems and is the first to be installed alongside a railway line!
62,000 meters of fiber optics is used in this installation
2) There are 292 Fireflies in the installation each with 24 lit fibers. This exhibit has over 10,000
points of light, which is 2,000 more than the Field of Light. This installation uses 2,400
meters of fiber optics.
3) Each Bloom has 100 real fishing rods, threaded with fiber optics (the original reels and lines
have been removed. This is the second time this artwork has been shown in the US and
3,000 meters of fiber optics are used in this installation.
4) Sun was originally designed to be suspended from a single hanging point but because of its
size and weight it was decided it should sit on the floor over the point as if a sun is rising on
the horizon. 1,820 bottles are used in the Sun. The framework for the installation was
created in the USA! 27,300 meters of fiber optics are used in this installation.
5) Ferryman’s Crossing II was the first piece Bruce created using Morse code to translate
extracts of literature. The digital animation is a translation from Siddhartha, by Hermann
Hesse. This is the second time it has been bought to America.
6) Dons Flamingo’s is a new work by Bruce and comprises 52 flamingos in fluorescent acrylic
beads. Bruce created this piece especially for Nicholas Conservatory and is an homage piece
to the creator of the iconic pink flamingo, Don Featherstone. The sound track is of cackling
flamingos and was created in the Studio by Libby.
7) There are 8 Water-Towers in the installation, each using 272 water bottles. We use seltzer
bottles because they are more robust than those used for still water. This artwork is
experienced to music. Over 8,000 meters of fiber optics is used in this installation.
8) Light Shower was originally designed for a space in Scotland. England. Its inspiration came
from watching the rain fall against the window. There are 400 droplets of ‘water’ in this
installation and 4,800 feet of optical fiber.

(Photo courtesy of Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens)