bruce munro illuminates australia’s vast desert landscape in a field of light

bruce munro illuminates australia’s vast desert landscape in a field of light
all images courtesy of bruce munro

at ayers rock resort in australia, british artist bruce munro has installed a ‘field of light’ that illuminates the vast desert landscape. marking his largest project to date, this immersive work — the most recent in a series of monumental light-based installations — comprises more than 50,000 slender stems, crowned with frosted-glass spheres. the sculpture stretches to an area the size of four football fields just beside uluru — the monumental sandstone monolith in the heart of the red centre desert. throughout the day, the semi-transparent solar-powered spheres collect and store sunlight, coming alive by night through a network of illuminated optical fibre threads. the labyrinth of color forms pathways that lead viewers through the landscape, as well as the installation’s dynamic abyss.

a ‘field of light’ illuminates the vast desert landscape

‘field of light was one idea that landed in my sketchbook and kept on nagging at me to be done,’ munro says. ‘I saw in my mind a landscape of illuminated stems that, like the dormant seed in a dry desert, quietly wait until darkness falls, under a blazing blanket of southern stars, to bloom with gentle rhythms of light. ‘field of light’ is a personal symbol for the good things in life. I now have the honor and privilege of returning to create an iteration of this artwork for the place that inspired it. a work conceived in the red desert returns to its birthplace springing from the dry ground.’

the installation marks the artist’s largest work to date

the exhibition named ’tili wiru tjuta nyakutjaku’ — or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local pitjantjatjara — is presented for a full year throughout the desert’s distinct seasons, from april 1, 2016 to march 31, 2017.

50,000 slender stems are connected to semi-transparent spheres 

the sculpture stretches to an area the size of four football fields

the installation comes alive by night through a network of illuminated optical fibre threads

the solar-powered spheres collect and store sunlight throughout the day

a landscape of illuminated stems comes alive at night 

the network of lit cables connects from stem-to-stem

the labyrinth of color forms pathways that lead viewers through the landscape 

visitors can experience the installation at different times throughout the day 

the environmental intervention reinvents the desert terrain 

the bulbs only illuminate when nighttime conditions are achieved  

by day, the stems collect sunlight overhead 

the exhibition is named ’tili wiru tjuta nyakutjaku’ — or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’