Grounds For Sculpture is a unique 42-acre garden that blends art and nature seamlessly. It has had various exhibits in the past, but its 2021 Night Forms exhibit was perhaps its most popular.
It was a huge hit with families who wanted a unique adventure on the grounds during the night (and the winter, when many people struggled finding unique activities in the cold).
Now, the grounds have introduced a new version of the popular exhibit, called “Night Forms: Infinite Wave” by Klip Collective.
This immersive experience is open until April 7 and features over a dozen site-specific light and sound works, turning the park into a year-round destination.
Gary Garrido Schneider, the executive director of Grounds For Sculpture, mentioned that the park is intentionally experimenting with the possibilities of a nightscape.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Klip Collective to bring their vision to life on our grounds and create a unique response to our art that delivers an entirely transformed atmosphere,” he told Jersey’s Best.
During the day, the park contains sculptures large and small, colorful and monochrome, realistic
and abstract. Its distinct blend between nature and art is impressive — to say the least — and the Night Forms exhibit takes that to a new level. At night during this season, it transforms into a multi-sensory wonderland. With projection mapping, over a dozen works of art come to life in
unexpected ways.
All in all, the walk-through takes about half an hour (although you are
allowed and encouraged to stay longer, as I did.) As onestrolls through the guided paths, they encounter sparkling lights and pulsing techno music. Standing in front of a sculpture, different variations of projections will appear for up to 10 minutes.
Some of the most popular displays involve walking through tunnels, illuminating statues’ faces and creating vibrant 3-D effects with geometric shapes. My personal favorite involved projections of rainbow lights on the ground that made the guests feel as if they were walking on a rainbow, but each art piece was a spectacle in its own way.
And perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the exhibit is that everyone is encouraged to get creative while exploring: writing music, jotting down poetry or even making a sketch, as nature,
architecture and art come together to inspire.
The interaction and beauty of the exhibit has turned Grounds For Sculpture into a year-round hot spot, with roughly 90,000 visitors so far—half of them experiencing the park for the first time. Overall, the exhibit draws in so many visitors because blending elements such as music, lights and nature has rarely been seen before.
In a way, Grounds For Sculpture is completely redefining art, ushering in a new age.
