NightTales: An Illuminated Museum Experience

Preview: written before the show opened

Maggie West photographs natural subjects in time-lapse, over long stretches, to catch movements and patterns too slow for the eye. For NightTales she has turned imagery of real specimens from the Natural History Museum's own collections into large glowing works, and the museum reopens after dark to show them.

This is the first season, made with the producer BeSixth. Light installations and cinematic projections run through selected halls and the gardens, and the rest of the building is closed during the event. You enter by timed ticket and walk a route that goes outdoors, so dress for an L.A. December night rather than a gallery.

Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for children and $20 for members, with entry between 5:30 and 10pm on 39 select nights through January 10. Limited prepaid parking in the NHM Car Park is sold at checkout; Exposition Park parking on the night is cashless. The route is wheelchair accessible but involves extended walking.