Brookgreen Gardens

Brookgreen Gardens

Now.

One of the country's most beautifuler gardens will play hosts to unique and electrifying art installation, and it's just up the road.

The experience will have visitors marvel at-nature and light in southern light.

We are joined by bruce monroe known for his massive projects that are on corners of the planet.

Thank you for being with us.

>> good to be with you virtually, lately a.

>> where are you joining us virtually from?

>> i live in the west of england between two or three counties, wilshire and summerset.

And rolling countrysides, and chalky hills, and not too many people.

But it's -- we're having some good weather.

So it's lovely at the moment.

>> well, it certainly sounds like an inspirational place to be spending your time.

And part of the world is also quite historic, is that right?

>> stonehenge is it literally up the road.

But there's some different places, so we're kind of in between.

-- three points.

>> let's indeed talk about your work.

It's quite dazzling, and can you describe first what has been installed, southern light?

>> it's a very special garden, it's a unique experience for people who love gardens, because it's mixed with so many sculptures and art, it's all part of brook green.

So i was delighted when they approached me to see if i would be interested, and i was very trillion dollars.

Uniquely, it is a garden but to me it felt like a series of outside rooms, because each space, which is beautifully managed and designed, has it's own sculpts ral context, and i was very happy and willing to respond to that.

>> it's quite an honor for us here in south carolina to be home to one of your of violations, and how many have you done and where on the globe have you performed your art?

>> i'm a little bit of a late starter, because though i've been involved in lights since my mid 20s, i was traveling in australia at the time, i'm british born, but i spent eight years in australia into my early 20s, that's what got me into art.

And basically, i came back to the uk to live and be with my family and get married, and that's when truly started to get involved in art.

Since my mid 40s, but art has been part of my life for many many years.

I trained in fine arts, in sculpture and it's something that i loved for years.

Installation wise, i've been in the work around the world for about 20 years now.

I know it sounds quite long, 20, but i just touched 60, so i feel -- [ audio difficulties ] >> yeah.

But these installations, looking through the catalogs of your work, you installneys light works all over the place, from california to south carolina and beyond.

Can you tell us some of the other special places that have been home to your being work?

>> sure, this piece of work that has traveled with me from inspiration to installation in central australia, it got me started in terms of traveling around the world, and we have installed 50,000 stems of light in a special place, in belarus.

It's really inspired by landscape and by the emotional connection we all have, and i'm fascinated by the fact that everybody has a very similar reaction, but with you all try to voic it in different ways.

If i was a musician i would say music or a writer with words.

And the reason i would have loved to paint t but i struggled with paintings to community what i had.

And i was important to come across it in my 20s.

>> it is absolutely beautiful.

And we do need to take a break, but when we come back, i want to talk about how this light works, and how these installations come to pass technologically spaking.

Stick >> we're back with world renowned artist, bruce monroe, whose new installation, light can be seen at the gardens and inlet's.

And we're talking about how light has been your people.

And i'm sure you're familiar request artists who use light as their meme, such as real, on the bay bridge in san francisco and i'm curious how your work is similar or dissimilar from his.

I know that you use l.e.d.

Had lights, but technologically speaking how does your artwork?

>> firstly, it's lovely to be put in brackets with somebody like him, but my work, the technology is pretty such.

I try to use the technology less than -- it's more about trying to describe emotional contexts, so i'm very aware of 3-d, and exterior spaces, so i work very much in 3-d dimensions, so it's finding an expression that fits the bill.

So it's very important that when i'm making pieces of work, it doesn't overcome everything, it has to sit gently and naturally in the space.

It really does, when you look at some of the pictures of your work, your lights look like fields of flowers, and how do you achieve that look?

Are they tubes or what is it that you're installing into the ground to make them sand up and light up?

>> materials have always been an interest to me as an artist.

So when i was younger, i was always looking for readily availabler materials.

I got frustrated.

I had these ideas, and it was going to be extremely expensive to make these installations in the way that i wanted to.

So i also signed components for them.

The technology is simple.

And i really looked at the technology in a simple way and designed around the design affects.

And i almost mentioned that i'm really the smallest part of the cake in the it studio, because i'm fortunate to have a wonderful team.

And many volunteers get involved in our installations.

We have a lot of volunteers, and the garden people themselves are fantastic, my team.

And so often, i have very little is involvement with the actual installation.

We're in lockdown at the moment in the uk, as you are in the united states, and i have been fortunate enough, when i say fortunate in a very un fortunate time of our lives, where i'm on a hill installing 120,000cds, and i have to say to create this installation for the nhs.

I always love being out in the open myself, but sometimes i just can't because i'm being pulled in too many different directions.

>> how does it feel to have to release control and put it into somebody else's hands in hopes that they have the same vision that you have?

>> the pieces are really designed in a specific way.

I have a particular way of doing things, and i hope that i can import that knowledge and inspiration to others.

It's a shared experience, and many hands get involved.

It's not me waving my hand and saying look at me.

This is the work of many, and it's really for many.

And i think it's the right way to do that.

I'm not really interested in -- i love making art, but not to the point just to stand up and take a wow, because everybody should take a wow, including the people that come and see the exhibition.

It's a big circle.

With out the audience and with out people like yourselves, we wouldn't have art, so its impossible to make art in isolation.

>> most definitely.

We're excited to see it.

The gardens are open right now, and your particularless installation will be open to the public very soon.

We want to keep our outiences updated and i am excited to see the billboards.

It has been wonderful chatting with you, mr. monroe.

>> it has