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Photos by Kevin Fuhrmann
CHRIS DOYLE’S ‘The Lightening: A Project For Wave Hill’s Aquatic Center’ on May 1.
Dynamic show celebrates Wave Hill’s 50th b-day By Shant Shahrigian sshah@riverdalepress.com
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n a recent night at Wave Hill, a new multimedia art installation celebrating the grounds’ 50th anniversary captivated Matthew Vanderwerff, 4. He got onto his hands and knees to peer at a screen inside one of three large, origami-like Plexiglas sculptures arranged around an artificial pond. Matthew took in digital animation of wildlife flitting across bright patterned backgrounds while his grandmother stood by. “The red fish has so many cool-colored scales!” he exclaimed with glee. “My goodness, you’re right,” Pat Vanderwerff replied. Brooklyn-based artist Chris Doyle designed the sculptures in “The Lightening: A Project for Wave Hill’s Aquatic Center” to come to life at dusk. As Matthew and his grandmother circled the perimeter of the pond, a nearly full moon accented the colorful creations. “The moon came!” Matthew exclaimed while standing at the base of the pond. “It’s beautiful,” chimed in Elizabeth Bradley, a member of Wave Hill’s educational staff. “That’s an-
other nightlight.” Ms. Vanderwerff said she has regularly visited Wave Hill for about 40 years. “I brought my daughter here when she was weeks old,” she said while speakers in the art installation played a mellow ambient soundtrack. “She’s now a mom of two boys, and we’re introducing them to Wave Hill.” Wave Hill’s Claudia Bonn, who is stepping down as president and executive director this summer, explained that the installation celebrates her institution’s missions of protecting the environment and promoting art. “It’s really the coming together for me of all of the good parts of Wave Hill, which is the art and the horticulture and how they’re working seamlessly together,” she said. Mr. Doyle spent a year studying Wave Hill’s aquatic garden, its flora and fauna to make “The Lightening.” Each of his sculptures displays animations based on his photographs of koi, dragonflies, water lilies and other captivating examples of nature. The works interplay with the pond itself, which shows reflections of the pictures and of the sky above. A wordless song performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus completes the serene setting. Paces away from the aquatic gar-
den, the Wave Hill House is showing three animation sequences by Mr. Doyle. His renderings of environmental catastrophe and recovery form a thought-provoking contribution to Wave Hill’s ongoing dialogue about nature.
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ave Hill’s Artistic Director Jennifer McGregor said the institution set out to do something radical for the anniversary. “This is also meant to be this continuous experience that doesn’t really have a beginning or an end except for in your experience of light going to dark,” she explained. The installation was a pleasant surprise for Chad Jones, whose wife Francesca Raimond took him there for a date night last Friday without telling him where they were going. “It’s been a difficult and stressful week and we have the benefit of a parent in town for the night, so she wanted to take me to some place to sort of unwind, relax, get some stillness,” he said. “The Lightening: A Project for Wave Hill’s Aquatic Center” will be on display through Sunday, May 24. For details, visit www.wavehill.org or call 718-549-3200.
THE MARCO POLO Stufano Conservatory at Wave Hill. The institution is holding long hours as part of its Night Lights series.
SUNSET over the Palisades as seen from the Pergola Overlook at Wave Hill on May 1, above. Guests view sculptures by Chris Doyle in Wave Hill’s Aquatic Garden, below.
Photos by Kevin Fuhrmann
Photo by Adrian Fussell
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