Leaves, tendrils and roots inspire American glass artist Dale Chihuly, so it makes sense that his work would be exhibited at London's Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Kew Gardens boasts one of the world's largest plant collections, and is also famous for its groundbreaking greenhouses. "Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew" runs until Jan. 15, 2006, so visitors can see the huge works embedded in summer's thick foliage, glowing in an autumnal nest of bare twigs or dusted with winter snow. Chihuly has shown in gardens before, but never in Europe.
Some pieces are indoors, in the Palm House (built 1844-48), the Temperate House (1860-99) and the 1986 Princess of Wales Conservatory (including
Sun, above). They're made out of delicate flat or hollow pieces of hand-blown glass in a rainbow of colors, and are assembled on site. The display includes Chihuly's latest series,
Fiori (Flowers), and two installations floating on the Palm House pond:
Thames Skiff, a boat crowded with spikes, bulbs and shoots, and
Walla Wallas, onion shapes floating in the water. Chihuly's sculpture just might inspire visitors to fill their window boxes in new ways. tel: (44-20) 8332 5655;
www.kew.org.uk
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