Evanescent

Evanescent, the centerpiece of the Chicago Botanic Garden's Shimmering Summer exhibit, fills the Glencoe garden with monumental iridescent bubble sculptures by the Sydney-based art duo Atelier Sisu. Founded by Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield, Atelier Sisu builds large-scale installations of light, sound and abstract form. Evanescent, a word that means quickly fading or temporary, uses the shape of a bubble to capture what the artists call the ephemerality and fragility of life. It marks the first time the studio has been featured in a U.S. botanical garden. The installation is designed to be walked through, touched and seen from below, with iridescent spheres scattered across multiple locations including Festival Field, the lawn south of the Buehler Enabling Garden, the water near the Serpentine Bridge, Farm on Ogden and the Visitor Center. Atelier Sisu developed the concept during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the way a natural bubble evokes wonder before vanishing into the air. Shimmering Summer runs June 6 through September 20, 2026, opening with a weekend of bubble performances, glass blowing, hoop artists and live music on Festival Field from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 6 and 7. The garden is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the summer, and the exhibit is included with admission.