Illumination: Northern Lights

The Myriad Botanical Gardens is a 17-acre botanical garden and interactive urban park located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The central feature is the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory - a 224-foot long enclosed glass lass structure, living plant museum featuring towering palm trees, tropical plants and flowers, waterfalls, and exotic animals.

Based on our acclaimed work at ‘Illumination – Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum’ in Illinois and ‘Enchanted – Forest of Light’ at Descanso Gardens, CA, Myriad Gardens asked Lightswitch to conceive of a new holiday lights experience for their guests. As with these previous installations for other institutions, Myriad Gardens wanted a ‘non – traditional’, experiential and immersive experience for their guests, that framed the garden as a contemporary, engaging place for people to enjoy in the holiday season, as well as in warmer months – so ‘Illumination – Northern Lights’ was born. Lightswitch approached the canvas of the Crystal Bridge Conservatory as something to be both viewed and experienced. IP rated, exterior grade automated fixtures illuminate the exterior of the space, with light that played inside the conservatory too. Multiple LED fixtures throughout the interior were carefully mixed with interactive spinning sculptures designed by Oakland based site-specific artists HYBYCOZO, a frequent Lightswitch collaborator.

This project was a very different proposition than Illumination – Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum’ or ‘Enchanted – Forest of Light’. Rather than multiple acres of gardens to explore with a ‘something for everyone’ approach, the limited space afforded by the Crystal Bridge Conservatory enforced design rigour and conscious decision making. The result of Lightswitch’s thoughtful design was a coherent, carefully curated experience that resulted in rave reviews and delighted visitors. ‘Illumination – Northern Lights’ was a smash hit, and achieved all of Myriad Gardens goals on time, and on budget.