OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BOROUGH OF KINGS
COURIER LIFE, FEBRUARY 12-18, 2021 21
BY BEN VERDE
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
has launched a series of guided audio
walks and installations, offering indepth
visits to the greenspace that remain
socially distanced.
Through the Art in the Garden Series,
two guided audio tours and two
site-specifi c sound installations will
be available at the Garden between
February and May.
Visitors to the horticultural museum
can currently pop their ear-buds
in and partake in the guided walk titled
“Meander” by artists Gelsey Bell
and Joseph White, which takes visitors
through the Garden while meditative
voices, compositions, singing, and
facts about the space are played.
“You’ll be prompted to take a moment
and observe what you’re seeing
around you in nature and what you’re
feeling,” said Elizabeth Reina-Longoria,
a spokesperson for the Garden.
“It’s very nice and peaceful.”
Starting Feb. 26, “Terminal Moraine”
a sound installation by artists
Ben Rubin and Brian House will
be open to the public at the Walled
Garden, the newest addition to the
greenspace. The installation features
sounds inspired by the glacial movements
that formed much of the natural
environment of the Botanic Garden
and Prospect Park, and the sounds of
trees growing.
To mark the one-year anniversary
of the city’s shutdown due to the pandemic,
the institution will reprise the
sound installation “Loved” — which
commemorates those lost to COVID-19
— by percussionist David Cossin in
the Cherry Esplanade. The meditative
composure featuring seven vibraphones
will play hourly on the esplanade
for 5 minutes and 28 seconds.
For those looking to learn more
about the Garden’s natural environs,
a series of guided nature walks from
naturalist Brad Klein are available.
Klein takes guests through the Water
Garden, the Japanese Hill and Pond
Garden, and the Osborne Garden, educating
listeners on the survival habits
of the garden’s residents as they rough
it through winter.
The guided audio tours act as a
stand-in to the in-person programming
the garden is currently unable to
offer due to the pandemic.
“We’re not able to have our docents
who normally give tours,” said Reina-
Longoria. “Part of the reason that
we’re doing all of these audio tours is
it’s a chance for people to come and
partake in artistic programs or guided
tours without having to be with other
people.”
Chill
zone Brooklyn Botanic
Garden debuts
guided winter walks
COLD COMFORT: New audio tours offer an in-depth look at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, even in the age of COVID-19.
Photo by Michael Stewart/Brooklyn Botanic Garden