Ricardo Rivera, Klip Collective Founder & Nightscape Designer, Opens up About the Exhibit’s Return to Longwood

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The fan favorite “Nightscape” exhibit has returned to Longwood Gardens.--photo via Klip Collective.

First unveiled last July by Klip Collective’s Ricardo Rivera, the trippy and immensely popular exhibit “Nightscape” is again delighting visitors to Longwood Gardens from August 3rd to October 29th, writes Aleandra Villarreal for Philly.com.

“I wanted to immerse people in a world and for them to get lost in it,” said Rivera. “Isn’t that the kind of escapism that people pay for?”

Ricardo Rivera founded Klip Collective in 2003. He holds two patents on the technology behind "Nightscape" known as projection mapping.--photo via Adobe.com
Ricardo Rivera founded Klip Collective in 2003. He holds two patents on the technology behind “Nightscape” known as projection mapping.–photo via Adobe.com

Paul Redman, Longwood’s executive director, invited “Nightscape” back to Longwood due to its popularity, as after the exhibition closed, visitors kept requesting its return.

“Nightscape” is part of an ongoing effort by Longwood to promote the gardens’ nighttime ambience. While the tickets include an all-day admission to “Nightscape,” the best viewing in August does not start until 9 p.m.

The exhibit uses light projections covering the grounds, surrounding and overlapping with some of the abstract installations, creating something more than just an exhibit and more like “a show.” According to Rivera, the entire experience is reminiscent of a shadowy fantasyland.

The two-hour experience, which the creator originally planned to name “Nocturne,” is intended to be haunting. However, after pushback from several parents last time who complained that the music was too sullen and ominous for children, some Bach, Brahms, and Debussy has been incorporated into the display to lighten the mood.

“It’s a very psychedelic experience, I’m not going to lie,” said Rivera. “I mean, I’m projecting patterns onto plants. What do you think is going to happen?”

Read more about the exhibit at Phlly.com here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Longwood Gardens here.

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