The Listening Forest is a must-see for anyone who enjoys light shows. This new exhibit in Bentonville guarantees a fun time and Instagram-worthy views that are even more stunning in person. I had the opportunity to check it out, and I was impressed.
The Listening Forest includes many different interactive installations. The Embodied Light Beacons part allows you to control the projectors of a giant structure with your arms, while in the Voice Forest, you record your voice, which is played back along with other recordings.
Stick around if you want to know more! I will cover everything you need to know about this exhibition and offer my favorite parts. I will also provide more information about the prices, general reviews, and other attractions you may like.
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What Is the Listening Forest?
The Listening Forest is the newest art exhibition at Crystal Bridges’ North Forest. It includes eight different installations in a 120-acre area along a five-mile trail and offers a visual spectacle worth visiting.
What’s unique about this exhibition is that it is an immersive and interactive experience, allowing you to control lights and sounds in various ways that will enable you to create your own show. This exhibition was created by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
The eight installations that this exhibit includes are:
- Recorded Assembly
- Arkansas Text Stream
- Pulse Forest
- Thermal Drift
- Remote Pulse
- Embodied Light Beacons
- Voice Forest
- Summon
In this part 2, I will focus on my impressions from two exhibits, Embodied Light Beacons and Voice Forest.
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Embodied Light Beacons
Embodied Light Beacons was one of my favorite parts of this exhibition. It offered a fantastic view and was one of the most interactive parts. This installation gives you the opportunity to control giant spotlights, making you part of the artwork in a sense.
The way Embodied Light Beacons works is pretty simple; you stand in front of motion sensors, which capture the movements of your arms. The information from these sensors goes to a giant stick figure with spotlights. As you move your arms, the spotlights move with you.
Controlling the way these giant lights work is so much fun. I personally loved it and had a blast moving my arms as much as I could and making a show for the other visitors! It’s an excellent installation, and it’s also fun for children, who get to “control a robot”, just like in the movies.
Voice Forest
Another fun but also a little eerie part was the Voice Forest. This installation is located on a bridge and is also pretty immersive. This part also is impressive visually, but the sound is the main component of the interactive experience.
Rather than controlling lights, in the Voice Forest, you get to add your voice to the installation. When you stand on the bridge, you’re supposed to say something that will be recorded. Afterward, your recording will be played back to you, along with the recordings left by previous visitors. The result is impressive.
My Overall Impression
I liked the Listening Forest and all the different immersive experiences that it offers. I only provided a couple examples, but there are many other installations, as I explained above, that are definitely worth visiting. The Arkansas Text Stream, or the “alphabet soup” as I call it, was one of my favorites, along with the Embodies Light Beacons.
This new exhibit at Crystal Bridges is a great opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s an actual art exhibition, so it’s artsy and, at times, unsettling. However, the fact that it connects to visitors and allows them to control parts of the exhibition makes it more entertaining than a typical art show.
The Listening Forest is a great place for everyone, so feel free to bring your kids. The wonderful combination of lights and sounds offers a rare spectacle your child would love; the facility also provides snacks and beverages for anyone who may get hungry. The interactive parts, in particular, can be so much fun.
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Other Visitor Reviews
The Listening Forest is a hit with Bentonville residents. Visitors seem to enjoy the interactive nature of these installations the most, but the audio-visual spectacle alone is a good reason to check out this exhibition.
The fact that it makes art fun is a major advantage since it attracts even people who usually would not be interested in art installations. More importantly, it’s a great place to take your kids. You could make a whole day trip out of visiting The Listening Forest with your family.
However, some visitors remark that some parts of the exhibition can be annoying or unpleasant, primarily because of the audio effects. The Voice Forest, in particular, can be too loud and overwhelming sometimes, especially for people with sensory issues.
The Arkansas Text Stream seems to be a crowd favorite, offering an incredible light spectacle to enjoy and capture with your phone. The overall impression about this new exhibit is that it offers beautiful visuals, and it’s great for families, offering all kinds of amazing views and encouraging visitors to participate in creating these views.
Also, I have a 3-day itinerary that can help you decide what activities to do if you’re overwhelmed by everything Northwest Arkansas has to offer.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a foodie, a sports person, a sightseer, or want to spend quality time with your kids; I have something for you. Check out the link below to learn more:
https://www.allthingsnwa.com/3-day-itinerary-northwest-arkansas
Additional Questions
By now, you should have an idea of what The Listening Forest offers, but I can answer some additional questions you may have about this exhibition:
How Long Does It Take To See the Whole Exhibition?
You can spend as much time as you want in the Listening Forest; if you wish, you can make a whole day trip out of it! However, according to Crystal Bridges Museum, it takes about two hours to have a completely immersive experience and visit all the installations.
What Are the Operating Hours?
Given the nature of this exhibition, it can only be visited once the sun has set so that the lights are completely visible. As a result, there are no set visiting hours, but you can go to the museum website, which will tell you when the exhibition opens that day.
What Else Can I See in Bentonville?
If you enjoy this exhibition, you can visit the Crystal Bridges Museum itself, which offers a great collection of art from some of the most famous American artists, including Norman Rockwell, Alfred Maurer, Andy Warhol, and Jackson Pollock.
You can also check out the satellite of this museum in downtown Bentonville, The Momentary. This is a facility where you can catch the latest art shows, performances, festivals, and more. If you want more options, check out my other article.
Conclusion
The Listening Forest is an excellent exhibition for everyone, so you should definitely check it out if you’re in the area. It’s visually stunning, entertaining, and interactive, guaranteeing you’ll never get bored while visiting. This exhibit only takes a couple of hours to see, and it’s great for the whole family.
Sources
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Listening Forest by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Listening Forest Exhibition
- The Free Weekly: Crystal Bridges’ ‘Listening Forest’ pulses, flows, lights up via visitors’ input
- Reddit: “Listening Forest” vs “North Forest Lights”
- Visit Rogers Arkansas: North Forest Trail at Crystal Bridges
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Home
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: What to Expect at Listening Forest, Our New Outdoor, Nighttime Experience
- Crystal Bridges: Home
- Everything NWA: 5 MUST SEE Things When Visiting Northwest Arkansas
- The Momentary: Home