A to Z – 2023 – J is for John F. Kennedy Drive where you will find Psychedelic Photosynthesis

Posted on April 12, 2023 by scr4pl80 (Scrap Lady)

Continuing on our journey through San Francisco looking for the “Illuminate SF” art projects, once again I am using a little creative license to connect these dots. John F. Kennedy Drive goes through Golden Gate Park and that is where you will find the Conservatory of Flowers and there you will see some Psychedelic Photosynthesis.

As you will remember with the “Entwined” exhibit, Golden Gate Park was actually closed to traffic by the time I got there. A few folks were out walking their dogs and there were some tennis courts with people still playing so the lights were on but I didn’t really want to just randomly park the car and go wandering by myself so I kind of overlooked the signs that said “do not enter” or “road closed” and drove to where I saw the flashes. The Entwined exhibit was on the same road, just a bit farther down.

This colorful projection on the outside of the Conservatory was developed with the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department and started in 2021. The moving colors and different flowers are reminiscent of the San Francisco Summer of Love. I couldn’t get any closer to the building itself but was able to park on the hill and look down.

As I was just about finished shooting this sequence, a man walked by who was cleaning up (or I assumed he was cleaning up because he had a big black trash bag) and he said that there were heavy fines for being in this area. I thanked him and got back in the car. I wish I had taken just a few more minutes though because I could see as I was pulling away that the colors on the Conservatory were turning a deep blue and then red. I didn’t hear any music but the addition of some would have been really cool I think.

Best Viewing: Outside the Conservatory of Flowers, 101 John F. Kennedy Drive. Starts at dusk each night and runs on a loop through the night. Make sure to get there early enough so you don’t have to break the law to see it!

I’m sorry to say that the pictures on the website show much more color and vibrancy than the video I got. I would like to go back sometime and see it again. I’ll be sure to post about it if I do. Thanks to all who have been visiting me from the A to Z. I promise I’ll try to get out and visit some new folks soon!

About scr4pl80 (Scrap Lady)

I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
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26 Responses to A to Z – 2023 – J is for John F. Kennedy Drive where you will find Psychedelic Photosynthesis

  1. Pingback: A to Z – 2023 – Reflection | Janet's Smiles

  2. Jeanne Bryan Insalaco says:
    April 15, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    Gee I wonder why there would be fines for being in the area. Glad he told you though

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Crackerberries says:
    April 14, 2023 at 2:30 am

    Very cool, hippy! (Just kidding). Loving the trips we get to take with you. Stay safe.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Jamie says:
    April 13, 2023 at 6:39 am

    Wow, this looks great!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Ally Bean says:
    April 13, 2023 at 6:35 am

    Harkening back to the Summer of Love? Far out, man. What a great city!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. joyweesemoll says:
    April 13, 2023 at 5:43 am

    Cool flowers for a conservatory.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. ghostmmnc says:
    April 12, 2023 at 12:58 pm

    Very pretty. I’m happy for you to show us these pretty places, but do be careful when exploring alone at night especially. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  9. E.A. Wickham says:
    April 12, 2023 at 10:30 am

    I have been there in the daytime, but not at night. I enjoyed your video.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Arlee Bird says:
    April 12, 2023 at 10:19 am

    I guess San Francisco continues to capitalize on the hippie history of the sixties. This is kind of cool, but I don’t think I’d go to SF just to see it. San Fran sounds pretty bad from the news reporting I’ve been hearing.

    Lee

    Liked by 1 person

    • scr4pl80 says:
      April 12, 2023 at 10:21 am

      Thanks for stopping by, Arlee. Yes, there were some parts of the city that I was not quite so comfortable being alone in. Still, it is fun to get out and explore once in a while.

      Like

  11. mollyscanopy says:
    April 12, 2023 at 9:34 am

    What an incredible video! I went with a friend in Dec. 2022 to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s Lightscape exhibition. Similar in concept, but projections were done against trees rather than the building. I love that conservatories and botanical gardens are finding ways to entice visitors year round.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. 100 Country Trek says:
    April 12, 2023 at 9:03 am

    Thanks for sharing this idea. Anita

    Liked by 1 person

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