Some 200 visitors enjoyed the projections in the exotic Japanese Garden at Miami Beach Botanical Garden on the evening of September 11. One group spread out a picnic blanket, opened a bottle of wine, and stayed for the entire duration. We saw a lot of Garden regulars, including landscape architects, environmentalists, and other gardening and cultivation enthusiasts, as well as a good crowd of film buffs and video artists interested in the concept of expanded cinema. The lovely Garden staff allowed us to remain open well past 11PM to accommodate those who popped in after the Wynwood Arts District Gallery Walk.
One of my great joys in presenting this piece was the success of the projections on water features. The Garden itself is a stylized configuration of varied bamboo and other grasses, the quintessential red bridge overlooking the lotus pond, a rustic fountain comprised of stacked natural stone, and other Asian-themed sculptural elements. I was able to project on both the pond and the fountain with astoundingly beautiful results.
Ricardo's soundscape contained the unlikely meshing of club beats with native drumming. The whirring of the projectors mingled with the babbling water sounds of the stone fountain filled out the sonorous effect, while the humid scent of exotic herbs and flowers completed this mutltisensorial experience.
Thank you to all who came out to enjoy the humidity and fragrance, the elusive imagery and the landscape. Thanks as always to the magnificent crew and the great staff at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.
Photos by Luis Olazabal/blue jazz photo - thanks again Luis!
