Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew

Supported by GlaxoSmithKline

28 May 2005 - 15 January 2006

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is hosting a major visual arts exhibition set to challenge the traditional perception of Kew and rival the established arts spaces in terms of scale and innovation. Investigating the boundaries and interaction between art and landscape, Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew, supported by GlaxoSmithKline, utilises Kew 's unique landscape within the city to display a variety of work from American artist Dale Chihuly and marks the first time that he has exhibited in a European garden setting. One of the guiding principles for Kew is to create an exhibition that will organically evolve for the viewer with the changing seasons and the lengthening and shortening of the days throughout the year until the exhibition's close in early 2006.

Dale Chihuly is a leading figure of contemporary glass and has exhibited extensively in the United States as well as internationally - from Venice to Jerusalem, Iceland to Japan. Chihuly's work was last seen by the British public at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the summer of 2001.

Gardens of Glass will include Chihuly's newest series of work, Fiori , which has never been exhibited in Europe before. Site-specific works have been created for the Palm House and Temperate House and a traditional Thames skiff will be used to hold the glass for the Boat installation on the Palm House pond. The exhibition will also include some of Chihuly's best-loved series of work, including Macchia, Ikebana and Chandeliers.

The monumental sculptures are formed out of hundreds of pieces of hand-blown glass and assembled on site. The installation of these pieces is a unique spectacle in itself, with hundreds of glass elements assembled into their final form. Please contact the Kew Gardens Press Office for an opportunity to photograph the installation process in early May 2005.

Making works that interact with their setting is thematic in Chihuly's work. The Boat installation is part of a series that originates from an event in Finland in which glass forms were floated down a river. This perhaps opens up the discussion into the material value and permanence of art for critics and viewers.

The White Peaks Exhibition Space will host an exhibition investigating Chihuly's working practices and the process of glass blowing. Chihuly is well known for playing loud rock music in the hothouse during a session of glass blowing, bringing in elements of performance and conceptual art with the uninitiated being mesmerised by the speed and energy of the blowers that permeates through into the finished sculpture.

The processes of Chihuly's work, both theoretical and practical, together with discussions into the role that Kew 's landscape will play within the perception of the sculptures as well as the history of glass and Chihuly's role within it will be the basis of an educational programme for adults and children, including a series of lectures and workshops.

Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew is set to transform the experience of visiting the gardens, offering a new context to those familiar with the work of Chihuly and a comprehensive introduction to the artist's work and influential career out of the confines of the indoor gallery space and into the landscapes and vistas of Kew.

For further information and images please contact Anna Quenby, Lauren Bird or Oliver Basciano in the RBG Kew Press Office, Telephone 020 8332 5607, E-mail pr@kew.org

Please contact the Press Office for an opportunity to photograph the installation process in May or to attend the press preview of the completed exhibition on Thursday 26 May 2005.

Notes to Editors

Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma , Washington in 1941. He trained with Harvey Littleton, the father of American studio glass, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the illustrious Venini factory in Venice, established the glass course a the famous Rhode Island School of Design and became the founding artist of Pilchuck Glass School, the pre-eminent school of glass. He leads the avant garde in the development of glass blowing as a studio art. Dale Chihuly has travelled widely and exhibited internationally. His work is held in over 200 museums throughout the world. For further information please visit www.chihuly.com.

Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew

Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace . RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. For further information please visit www.kew.org.

GlaxoSmithKline

Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew is supported by GlaxoSmithKline as part of the company's community support programme. GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. With global headquarters close to Kew in Brentford, the company has a continuing programme of charitable activities in the UK , funding a variety of projects in the following areas: healthcare, scientific education, medical research, the arts and the environment. The company is a longstanding supporter of Kew , having sponsored a number of projects at the Gardens, the most recent of which was the Go Wild festival in 2003. For further information on GSK's community programmes please visit www.gsk.com/community.