Reflections streaking down the walls entice visitors entering Chihuly’s Garden And Glass Museum in Seattle to look up.
There is a sense of theatre – a disruption and human clustering – as each visitor lingers, their eyes irresistibly drawn up, necks and bodies circling to take in a carnival of colours that seem to be floating overhead; open, organic forms inspired by sea creatures, though none we know of, with bright, rainbow colours, ripples, ridges and stripes.
‘In creating the Persian Ceiling I was trying to create something that people had never seen before: so you walk under there and you look up and, all of a sudden, you have to start figuring out what you’re looking at – and what is it? – and how does it make you feel?’
Dale Chihuly
Susan Rushton 
Thank you for the excellent photos! Looking up, though always good advice, rarely is so astonishing. Didn’t you have a stiff neck for days afterwards?
I suppose I would have if this was all there was, but the gallery is overflowing with glass treasures and seeing glimpses of it gleaming in the next room through the half-light draws you on. My main interest was really to see the garden but the thing that stays in my memory is the boat. I haven’t posted that one yet.
I live in Las Vegas, NV USA. Sometimes I go to the Bellagio Hotel just to see his glass ceiling in the lobby. Thanks for posting.
I took a peep using google images and I can see why you would be drawn back to revisit. It’s a different method of installation. I like the way some of them seem to spill down like inside out umbrellas – the Bellagio ceiling is so high there was room.
What an amazing ceiling!
I can imagine sitting under it like a sun tan device for the soul.
Stunning!
It’s one of the first things you see when you enter the gallery so it sets the mood for things to follow.
Hooray for vivid color. This is one more item to add to the list of places to visit.
It’s perhaps an obvious point, but try to visit when the garden is in bloom if you can. I really admired the planting. It’s not natural, yet not unnatural either – like nature heightened.