Chihuly at the MFA.Part 9 - Lavender Spikes

I can't remember what this installation was called. It was massive, well lit, and easy to photograph.

I visited the Chihuly exhibit twice. In all, I took over 200 photographs.















Now I'm sort of Chihuly'd out; I'm losing steam. I hope to upload all my photos to Flickr but I'm not sure when.

I still want to share the massive piece that the MFA is going to keep.

Chihuly at the MFA.Part 8 - Chandeliers

The next room was filled with chandeliers - in varied colors and forms.
The chandelier exhibit was the largest collection ever of Chihuly's chandeliers in one place.

That includes a red chandlier at the entrance to the exihibit. The lighting was set to throw wonderful shadows on the gray walls.

See more chandeliers on Chihuly's website.

Chihuly at the MFA.Part 7 - Persians

See more Persians and read about them on Chihuly's website.

The glass was overhead resting on thick clear glass supported by dark rafters.

It was standing room only but it would have been great to lie down on something with wheels and just drift around the space.

White octopus - click to enlarge

Among the large pieces were wonderful surprises - like this white octopus.

As with all the displays, we could not help wondering how they set this up.

• Did they walk on the glass?
• Did they wear booties?
• Did they wear gloves?
• How much does it all weigh?
• How did they transport it?
• How much bubble wrap do they use?

Like a nested arrangement -- upside down!

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Chihuly at the MFA.Part 6 - Mille Fiori

After the muted colors of the baskets, I found the vivid colors of the Mille Fiori jarring.

The variety and density of the collection created a constantly changing view.

The enormous pieces are set upon a reflective surface.

It can read like the surface of a pond . . . or the ocean floor.

The room was dense with people. How can I crop them out?

See more Fiori on Chihuly's website - both indoor and outdoor installations.

See more Mille Fiori photos in my Chihuly set on Flickr.

See more floats and read Chihuly's statement about them here.

Chihuly at the MFA.Part 5 - Nested Baskets

The nested baskets were in the same room as the other basket forms. A sizable collection of Native American blankets was hung on the wall.

Ghostly
It's not just that you can see through them. It's that you are not sure what you are seeing.

Collapsing
How did they capture these shapes in mid-collapse?


Barely there . . .
. . . and yet they throw shadows.

Fragile
I love the contrast of the massive wooden slab and the delicate glass walls. The cracks in the wood reminded me that the glass itself could crack. How wonderful that they are so delicate and yet we were allowed to get very close with nothing between us but air -- no acrylic museum boxes.

Chihuly has done similar pieces in other colors. I thought that bright colors distract from all the other things that are happening in these pieces; the milky tan color is perfect . . . until I saw this video showing nested baskets in strong earth tones.

Are they premanently atttached or resting together?

Chihuly at the MFA.Part 4 - Baskets and Blankets

Favorite Room
This was my favorite room at the MFA Chihuly exhibit. I could have come back daily - for a long time.

Click on the images to enlarge them.





Catch more of the blanket cylinder series here and soft cylinder series here.
Read Chihuly's statement on his Trade Blanket collection here.

Serene Light
The lighting created a serene mood.

The baskets forms were displayed on wooden surfaces beside their inspiration -- very fine Native American baskets.



Paper Thin
The glass is paper-thin, milky, and neutral with soft forms that emulate the sagging sides of a basket. Some have delicate decorative finishes.

Here's Chihuly's website.

Hear Chihuly talk about the baskets here.

Gravity and Heat

Read Chihuly's basket statement here. His use of heat and gravity to shape these baskets was a break through for him -- and the world of glass.





Favorites
Just when you think you've seen it all, new colors, shapes, textures, and details appear.
It was impossible to pick a favorite.

You can see more basket forms here.

You can see more of my photos of Chihuly's basket forms here.

Up Next
And then, there are the nested baskets. That will be my next posting.

Chihuly at the MFA. Part 3 - Flowers and Vases

The next room was very dark with lots of reflective surfaces -- the blown glass, as well as some of the walls and counters. I found it difficult to know what I was looking at and what I was photographing. Cropping the photos has helped a lot.

A peek into the next room

Reflections
The crowd was moving too fast for me. People seemed eager to move into the next space. I wanted to linger. but could not figure out how to do that.

I never figured out how to photograph the pieces that were in front of or on top of mirrored surfaces.
Now I wish I had gone back for a second look. Come to think of it, my ticket is good for 10 days . . . but I don't relish the drive, the travel expenses . . . and more crowds.

See more Chihuly drawings here.



Clarity, Metal, and Bubbles
Don't get me wrong; I loved this room! Once again, the lighting was spectacular. The glass pieces featured clear glass, metallic colors, bubbles, and other textures. The muted colors put the focus onto the textures and reflective surfaces of the blown glass.

"Feed Me!"

See more of the Ikebana series here.

This video shows some Chihuly flowers and vases.
This video shows Chihuly's team working on a variety of pieces including a flower form.

Flowered vase in metallics

The forms in this room were reminiscent of flowers and vases. Some reminded me of the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors."  A number of drawings were also shown -- each one more beautiful than the next.

You can watch Chihuly's team create flower forms for the Ikebana Boat in this video. Many of the forms remind me of the flowers and vases in this room of the MFA exhibit. Enjoy!

Before Cropping

After Cropping

Chihuly at the MFA. Part 2 - Glass Boat

Glass Boat by Dale Chihuly, MFA, Boston

The entire show was beautifully lit. Everything was arranged to maximize the textures, colors, and reflective surfaces of the glass. Often, the rooms were very dark with spotlights fixed upon the glass.

We were free to take as many photos as we wished as long as we did not use a flash.

Glass Boat at the MFA
The exhibit began with Ikebana Boat, a boat filled with gigantic pieces of blown glass, and an interesting story about the inspiration for this combination of shapes. The boat was on top of a glass (or mirrored) surface.

More Glass Boats by Chihuly

• You can watch a similar boat being put together here.
• The glass boat  in this next video is on water.
• Likewise, this photo of a glass boat in water under a fountain conjures up images of the boat gently rocking with it's heavy contents on board.

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Chihuly at the MFA.Part 1 - In the Beginning

"Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass" at the MFA!

What a great exhibit! I took more than 100 pictures!

Visit Chihuly's website to see photos, essays, and more about the seaforms here.

This is the beginning. It's on the lower level and approached from a staircase. Can you guess how large these pieces are? Here's a hint: Dale Chihuly likes to work with a team of up to18 people.

In this wonderful video, Chihuly talks about the evolution of his career, the inspiration for his work, and more. Remember, you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.