Fireworks in the Garden for Whistlers Nocturne In Black And Gold

A LITTLE bit of the moon landed on a private estate just outside Edinburgh last weekend, but precisely where you might find the fragments is open to question. While the opening of an extraordinary new private sculpture garden, named Jupiter Artland, might be expected to go with a bit of a bang, the artist Cornelia Parker added more than the requisite pop and fizz as well. Parker's artwork, Nocturne (A Moon Landing), involved a chamber orchestra, a stunning fireworks display inspired by the Whistler painting Nocturne In Black And Gold: The Falling Rocket and a certified piece of a lunar meteorite exploding on high. Working with a crack team of skilled technicians, Parker helped orchestrate a display different from the bombast and pomp of most pyrotechnics, a subtle and rhythmic shower of white and gold shooting stars. While the event itself was unquestionably the most beautiful fireworks display I've ever seen (take that Edinburgh Festival), the lasting magic of her idea in a garden which also features a lot of major leagues and pretty muscular sculpture is its stealth and lightness of touch. A small National Trust-style plaque will commemorate the occasion. The rest is left to the imagination. Wherever you might go in this garden, tread carefully – you might just be treading on real moon dust.

Read the full article at Scotland on Sunday