'A dialogue with nature': How 'Illumination' designer dreams up the Morton Arboretum exhibit

In designing one of the suburbs' largest holiday light displays each year, John Featherstone becomes a director of sorts for an interactive theatrical production set among the sprawling forestry of the Morton Arboretum.

Created using roughly 4,000 lighting devices and five miles of cable, "Illumination: Tree Lights" goes above and beyond a traditional twinkling lights show. Weaving through the Lisle grounds, it tells the story of the symbiotic relationship between mankind and nature, he says, with each individual display rooted in an appreciation for trees and their fundamental role as the "lungs of our planet."

Wrap your arms around the trunk of a tree in one section of the arboretum, and it'll brighten and change colors. A cluster of trees in another area will respond to voices traveling through a Dr. Seuss-like sound tunnel.

"What I always want to do is have every experience throughout 'Illumination' make it feel like you have a dialogue with nature," Featherstone said. "It's not just that you're a passing spectator, and it's not that the trees are a passive part of the experience. ... It's always a two-way street."

The seventh annual "Illumination" begins Saturday and continues through Jan. 5 with its familiar blend of light, music and special effects at 4300 Route 53. But in addition to bringing back fan favorites, this year's exhibit features a variety of enhancements and an altered route highlighting different parts of the campus.

At one point, Featherstone said, the exhibit will travel off the walking paths and onto the arboretum's roadways, where light projections spell out an homage to trees. At the end of that journey, he says, a new display called "Tree Fascination" will showcase some of the science and research conducted at the arboretum, projected onto a grove of Eastern white and Scots pine trees.

Other displays along the one-mile route have been altered or relocated based largely on feedback from past attendees, said Sarah Sargent, the arboretum's manager of interpretation and exhibits. For example, she said the lights installed across Meadow Lake will have new sensors allowing them to change direction and color based on the wind.

"It's super rewarding to work on something that's evolutionary," said Featherstone, a partner and principal at Lightswitch, a visual design company. "We have the ability to constantly keep improving it."

The idea behind "Illumination" developed out of conversations between Featherstone and arboretum staff members nearly 10 years ago, he said. They were toying with the idea of creating a nighttime event, but weren't sure what time of year would be best.

Arboretum visitors are used to admiring the flowering spring trees or the green canopies of summer, Sargent said, and the fall foliage produces its own picturesque scenery every year. But during the holiday season, when tree branches are bare and the cold weather keeps people indoors, the beauty of the natural environment is more likely to be ignored.

"That drove us to explore this idea of, what's our relationship like with trees in the winter?" Featherstone said. "How do we use light to breathe life and color and dynamic and excitement back into arbor?"

Using that mindset as his "North Star," Featherstone set out to create a festive, informative and inclusionary event that appeals to all faiths, ages and demographics. "We made no small plans," he said.

He worked closely with arboretum staff members, exploring the grounds year round and drawing inspiration from the natural scenery - a practice he continues every year.

Then comes the installation process - an "enormous undertaking" that typically begins in October, Featherstone said. Arlington Heights-based Intelligent Lighting Creations provides the equipment, completes the setup and runs the show's operation every night.

"There are massive amounts of power and electricity and equipment in close proximity to a really delicate ecosystem," Featherstone said. Arborists, botanists and groundskeepers are involved in the process "to make sure we're installing all this in a way that's really symbiotic and thoughtful in interfaith with the collection of this tree museum."

"Illumination" has grown in popularity since its inaugural year, when the exhibit drew about 88,000 visitors, arboretum officials said. Last year, attendance reached 183,000.

The event is open on select days from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the last entry at 8:30 p.m. In addition to the lighting effects, it offers seasonal music, fire pits, warm beverages and s'mores.

"More than anything else, the payoff is seeing people come and interact with 'Illumination' - watching (a child's) elemental delight at hugging a tree and it changing color, or seeing families explore and enjoy," Featherstone said. "We're really proud of our work with the arboretum, and I'm very glad that there are organizations like this that are stewards for the environment, that are champions for trees."

If you go

What: "Illumination: Tree Lights"

Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle

Time: 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the last entry at 8:30 p.m.

Dates: Saturday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Jan. 5, excluding Nov. 25 and 28 and Dec. 2, 9, 16, 24 and 25.

Cost: Tickets for arboretum members are $13 to $18 for adults and $7 to $10 for children. Nonmembers cost $18 to $23 for adults and $12 to $15 for children. Kids younger than 2 are free. Advance purchase is recommended.

Info: <a href="https://www.mortonarb.org/illumination-event/2019">www.mortonarb.org/illumination-event/2019</a>