Chihuly Nights at Phipps Conservatory: A Photo Essay of Gardens and Glass

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh is currently hosting a collection of works by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. If you're not familar with Phipps, it's a huge glass and iron Victorian greenhouse that houses thousands of different types of plants and flowers. Chihuly's works are displayed amongst the flora, balancing man-made beauty with natural beauty.

Last night, Mr. Mac and I attended Chihuly Nights, the special after dark exhibit. Because the roof of the conservatory is almost entirely glass, overhead illumination is impossible at night. Although the exhibit's spot lighting works very well for firsthand visitors, it presented quite a challenge to these two amateur photographers. With apologies for our limited skill, here are a few highlights of our excursion.

The entrance to the exhibit is through the Palm Court, which features this tower of blue and citron spirals.

In the Serpentine Room, delicate Amber Cattails add color to a backdrop of Sweet Potato vine, Elephant's Ear and Fountain Grass.

I love the way the plants intertwine with the sculpture.

As I entered the Orchid Room, I had to double check to see if this high gloss specimen was also made of glass. It wasn't -- it's live.

Inspired by Japanese floral arranging, graceful Ikebana watches over a school of coi in the Orchid Room's pond.

Dramatic shadows frame Yellow Herons in the Outdoor Garden.

The warmth of the Stove Room was welcome after the brief interlude outside. This room houses plants of the deep tropics and is kept very warm year round. The brilliant Fiori Sun was right at home.

During spring and summer months, the Stove Room features an impressive Butterfly Garden with colorful wings darting between the hibiscus and birds-of-paradise. In the hibernal absence of blooms and butterflies, vibrant Paintbrushes provide splashes of color.

The focal planting bed of the South Conservatory was transformed into a lake for this installation inspired by the 1995 project "Chihuly over Venice". The program said the glass spheres were meant to be spilling out of the boat, but it seemed to me that they were swimming to it.

With its heady aroma of papaya, mango and lemon mingled with curry, allspice and nutmeg, the Tropical Fruit and Spice room is one of my favorite locations at Phipps. The statuesque Celadon and Royal Purple Gilded Fiori surrounded by exotic ferns adds to the sensory delight.

The Tropical Forest Conservatory is the newest room at Phipps. Opened in December 2006, it is designed to accomodate specialized botanical displays. The current installation is a replica of a Thai rainforest. While the meandering muti-level trails and overlooks offered a breathtaking experience even by night, the overhanging forest canopy successfully challenged most of our photographic efforts. We were able to capture only one of several dozen surprise treasures tucked into the nooks and crannies of this stunning exhibit.

Speckled Macchia line the Sunken Garden. Molten glass is rolled in small shards of colored glass to achieve the mottled effect.

A forest of Macchia makes a bold statement in the darkened garden.

Fluted Persians suspended over the gazing pool in the Victoria Room.

The cool blues of Cobalt Fiori complement the shimmery silvers of Bismark Palm, Arizona Cypress and Sage to create a surreal nocturnal display.

Most of these photos were taken by my darling husband, Mr. Mac. He has posted some additional images here if you'd like to see more.

Chihuly at Phipps runs through February 24, 2008. If you're near Pittsburgh with an hour or two to spare, I highly recommend a trip to the conservatory. The soothing environment helps to take the edge off even the most stressful day.

The exhibit's gallery website features a photographic perspective far superior to ours, as well as a bit of information on the different pieces.

Additional information about Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is available here.

Thanks for stopping by.