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Gardens by the Bay (GBTB) will see glass sculpture and installations spanning the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, gallery, and outdoor gardens from May 1 to August 1, 2021.

Over 100 artworks

With 25 large-scale installations and more than 80 pedestal sculptures and two-dimensional works, this will be American artist Dale Chihuly's first major garden exhibition in Asia, according to GBTB.

The large-scale works measure up to 10m and weigh as much as 3,600kg.

These pieces, curated and designed to complement the spaces within GBTB, are shipped directly from Seattle and installed on site.

Here's a peek at some of the artworks and the stories behind them:

"First exhibited in 1986 as part of his exhibition at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Palais du Louvre in Paris, Chihuly’s Persian series is a celebration of form, scale and color. Originally presented on pedestals, the series’ dramatic compositions have evolved to include installations mounted on walls, overhead on ceilings, and assembled in the form of chandeliers and towers. For Chihuly, Persians evoke an ancient sensibility and conjure notions of Venice, and the Near and Far East."

"Chihuly first filled boats with glass in Nuutajärvi, Finland, during the 1995 Chihuly Over Venice project. After several days of glassblowing, Chihuly started tossing glass forms into the Nuutajoki river to see how they would look in the environment. As the glass floated downstream it was retrieved in wooden boats by local teenagers, inspiring Chihuly to begin massing forms into wooden boats, for installations in museums and gardens."

"The use of ribbed optic molds is essential to the aesthetic of Persians. Molten glass, ringed by linear wraps, is plunged into these molds to create repetitive patterns. When blown out, the bubbles are transformed into swirling, irregularly shaped rondels with fascinating detail."

"Chihuly’s initial phase of extensive experimentation with Chandeliers culminated in the Chihuly Over Venice project (1995-96). Subsequent projects continued to challenge the artist to create large sculptures for spaces without ceilings or where the ceilings could not bear the weight of Chandeliers, giving life to the development of the Tower series."

"Originating during his experimentation in Nuutajärvi, Finland, and later revisited by Chihuly, Reeds are among the most dramatic blown glass forms. To create the long, tubular shape, one glassblower is elevated in a mechanical lift while blowing through the pipe to encourage the form to stretch, while another pulls the glass toward the ground."

Dale Chihuly: Glass in Bloom

You can get tickets to different areas of the exhibition:

• Early bird tickets (25 per cent off) to the outdoor gardens and gallery from S$12 for children, available from April 1-20.
• Tickets to the conservatories (Cloud Forest and Flower Dome) from S$20, available from April 21.
• Shared experience package (access to all areas of the exhibition) from S$27, available from April 21.

SingapoRediscovers Vouchers can be used to purchase the conservatories tickets and the shared experience package.

Top image by Scott Mitchell Leen and Nathaniel Willson © Chihuly Studio. All Rights Reserved.