Longwood Gardens’ New Summer Exhibit,

Longwood Gardens’ new nighttime installation, Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience by Klip Collective, opening today, takes guests on an immersive journey around the Gardens with moving imagery, light and original music using Longwood’s  plants and landscape as the canvas. Created by Klip Collective of Philadelphia, this innovative display is Klip’s first garden-wide installation and will showcase never-before-seen views of Longwood at night. Tickets are on sale now at longwoodgardens.org.

“Using our Gardens as the inspiration and the canvas, Klip Collective is creating an imaginative visual and sound experience. Our guests will journey through the landscape and encounter the beauty of the gardens in a new and memorable way, augmented by light, imagery, and sound,” said Executive Director Paul B. Redman.

“Nightscape is an experience very much in relationship with what’s already here at Longwood,“ said Klip Collective Director Ricardo Rivera.  “Within each different Garden landscape, we’re interpreting the space through movement, color, light, and sound, feeding off what’s there and illuminating it with our imaginations in a playful way,” he said.

One of the Nightscape experiences guests will encounter is at the Rose Arbor. Here, horticulture and art converge in an arrangement featuring striking bismarckia palms illuminated in a kaleidoscope of color.

The Flower Garden Drive by day is a formal avenue of towering hedgerows, but during Nightscape, undulating waves of blue and green transform flowerbeds, hedges, and trees into an undersea fantasia.

The Legacy Tree, one of the oldest in the Gardens, is transformed as deep blue and violet colors move from the tree’s root system through its arching canopy where particles of light disperse into the night sky.

The Large Lake inspires a celebration of the natural world, orchestrated against a musical score that evokes the sounds of the night forest. The Flower Garden Walk is home to thousands of points of light that play and scatter among the flowerbeds, delighting all who see it.

Other experiences include the Topiary Garden, which brings to life these “living sculptures” in a powerful and whimsical display. The East Conservatory showcases the convergence of Longwood’s horticultural expertise with the artist’s vision of form and color in a breathtaking spectacle.  In the Silver Garden, an arid, still landscape by day is transformed into an undulating, moving experience. Finally, multiple levels of color and light animate the towering palms of the Palm House.

Beer Garden Features Longwood Brew
Longwood is debuting its first ever Beer Garden featuring Victory Brewing Company. Dine with friends and family under the stars while enjoying pub-style fare and a variety of beers on tap, including a new Longwood signature brew, Longwood Seasons: Summer Zest, created by Victory Brewing Company using lemons grown at Longwood.

Nightscape Programming
Throughout Nightscape, Longwood will offer a variety of special programs and activities for guests to enjoy.  These include live music, Family Nights, and a new Artist & Friends speaker series. A Nightscape ticket is required for admission to the programs and Beer Garden.

Each Thursday in the Beer Garden regional artists perform live from 7-10 pm. Bluegrass artist Marc Silver, Gypsy jazz performer Jon Dichter, soulful music innovator Angela Sheik, and acoustic pop performer Dani Mari are slated to appear. Check longwoodgardens.org for the performance schedule.

Artist & Friends
Join the creator of Nightscape, Ricardo Rivera of Klip Collective, and an engaging panel of technologists and artists as they discuss cutting-edge topics inspired by the technology, art, music, and design, of Nightscape. Panel discussions are at 7 and 9 pm.

Soundscapes: Composers for Nightscape—July 10
Jon Barthmus
Composer, Sun Airway

Julian Grefe and Justin Geller
Founders, Pink Skull

Designing an Experience—August 14
Nick Fortugno
Co-Founder, Playmatics

Josh Goldblum
CEO, Blue Cadet

Alternative Storytelling—September 11
Yelena Rachitsky
Creative Producer, Future of StoryTelling

Kamal Sinclair
Co-Director New Frontier Story Lab, Sundance Institute

Effects of Technology on the Art of Storytelling—October 9
Navid Khonsari
Executive Producer, Ink Stories

Torfi Frans Olafsson
Creative Director, EVE Universe IP

Family Nights
July 15 & August 19
Enjoy a Nightscape-inspired seek-and-find activity and engage with staff in locations throughout the Gardens during these fun, family focused evenings. Don’t miss the live performance in the East Conservatory Plaza at 7 pm.

Gardens on Tap
September 16 & October 21, 7 pm and 9 pm
Explore the art, chemistry, and horticulture behind botanically inspired cocktails, spirits, and brews.

Nightscape is open now and will be on view Wednesday – Saturday evenings from 6-11pm through October 31. Best viewed in dark, Nightscape begins at 9:30 pm in July, 9:00 pm in August, 8:30 pm in September and 7:30 pm in October. Special Tickets, which include all-day admission, are required and should be purchased in advance. Admission is $27 for adults (ages 19+); $17 for students (ages 5–18); and free for ages 4 and under. Members do not require a ticket, but do require a free reservation.  For complete details and information, visit longwoodgardens.org/nightscape.

About Klip Collective
Klip Collective is a visual art shop bridging projection lighting, technology and storytelling. Klip was founded by photographer Pier Nicola DʼAmico and video artist Ricardo Rivera in 2003 to create immersive video projection experiences. In a short ten years, the Philadelphia–based firm has gone from being a purely artistic endeavor to an experiential partner sought out by many of the world’s most respected agencies and cultural institutions. Klip Collective has had installations at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow, and Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier in 2007, 2013 and 2014. For more, information visit klip.tv.

About Longwood Gardens
In 1906, industrialist Pierre du Pont (1870-1954) purchased a small farm near Kennett Square, PA, to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Today, Longwood Gardens is one of the world’s great horticultural displays, encompassing 1,077 acres of dazzling gardens, woodlands, meadows, fountains, 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ and 4.5-acre conservatory.  Longwood continues the mission set forth by Mr. du Pont to inspire people through excellence in garden design, horticulture, education and the performing arts. Longwood Gardens is on US Route 1 near Kennett Square, PA. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org or call 610-388-1000.