Chinese Lantern Festival October 2012

DISCLAIMER:  Please prepare for a photo dump of epic proportion.  However, there are no persons present in said photo dump....it is ALL about the lanterns.  There was a bit of a download snafu and all the original pics were lost, but things happen and life moves on.  Luckily, Megan knows people that know people and she not only got back to the fair, but she was able to land free tickets to the exhibit and photographed the whole thing all over again so that I could blog and or scrapbook it all.  Thank you, Megan for all of the wonderful pictures.  Hopefully someday I will have a big girl camera and I can do this myself.  And yes, I am aware that this post is seriously past due - better late than never.

The Chinese Lantern Festival debuted at the State Fair of Texas this year.  I am not a HUGE fan of the fair, but do enjoy walking around for an afternoon taking in the sites, a ride or two and some crazy fried food.  In Texas, it is kind of a rite of passage....seriously.  Megan and I decided that we were going to spend a  girl's afternoon at the fair this year and in browsing around the fair website, I came across information on the CLF....I was intrigued and hoped that Megan would be interested in seeing the exhibit as well.  She was on board and even though it is an additional fee, I couldn't wait (and it was TOTALLY worth it)! 

 

 

Here is a little information on the festival from the official site.

The artful pieces that make up the Chinese Lantern Festival are a collection of lanterns made of silky cloth, glass, and porcelain. Among the exhibition's 22 lantern sets are giant pandas, lotus flowers, and a porcelain dragon stretching 330 feet, made from 15,000 bowls, spoons, and wine cups...all tied together by hand.

When the sun goes down, the lanterns come to life, lighting the Texas night like never before, as the art illuminates, moves, and takes on an other-worldly life of its own.

Construction of this exceptional exhibit originated in China, where a team of more than 100 artisans and technical staff did preliminary work in Sichuan, the cradle of Chinese lantern-making. Small completed pieces and raw materials were shipped by sea to the U.S., then to Dallas, where a team of more than 40 arrived from China to construct the majority of the exhibits on-site. Working long days in 100-plus degree heat, they succeeded in creating a showcase of the world's foremost lantern-makers.

Come see the fruits of their labor, a place where giant pandas frolic near a herd of longhorn cattle; where dinosaurs rear their heads, blink, and growl. See the Fair Park lagoon transformed into a carpet of blossoming lotus flowers, a kaleidoscope of butterflies, and a mermaid guarding a precious pearl in her underwater garden. In a word, welcome to an enchanted place.

I am officially going to put a sock in it and let the pictures speak for themselves.  Grab a glass of wine or a mug of cocoa....this could take awhile!



This impressive guy spanned 330 feet and was made entirely of porcelaon plates, spoons and glasses



I was in awe of these...they were created with tiny medicine bottles...see detail below

 



The giant lotus flower opened and closed



The longhorns wer a nod to TX - the host state of the exhibit

Pretty spectacular, isn't it?  The exhibit has reopened since the fair closed and will remain open through January 6, 2013.  If you are in the area, I highly recommend checking it out.  Again, thank you Megan for capturing these beautiful photos...in this case, my camera phone may not have cut it.

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