This was published 6 years ago
How Field of Light transforms Uluru's ancient landscape into a night-time canvas
Conceived in Australia more than 25 years ago, Field of Light has becoming a spectacular calling card for its creator.
By Katrina Lobley
Produced in association with Ayers Rock Resort and Tourism NT.
Some say it resembles a living dot painting. English artist Bruce Munro's landscape installation Field of Light carpets the desert sand with 50,000 solar-powered spheres that change colour, like a slow-moving kaleidoscope, under a star-spangled night sky.
Coloured light carpets the desert around Uluru.Credit: Mark Pickthall
Trying to photograph or video these strange desert blooms as they come to life among tufts of spinifex doesn't do justice to the experience. It's best appreciated with your own eyes. Now there's more time to do that, given the monumental landscape art, located within sight of Uluru, is staying put until December 31, 2020.
Munro conceived the piece in 1992 while travelling through the Red Centre. It was a farewell tour of sorts; he'd spent eight years living here and was shortly to return to England.
Visitors enjoy the spectacle as they dine.Credit: Mark Pickthall
He imagined dormant seeds bursting to life after rain and jotted a few squiggles into his sketchbook to capture his idea.
Years passed before he resolved the practicalities of making the piece. The first iteration was modest, small enough for a store window. Emboldened, he installed a larger version in his own clover field in Wiltshire. Then cities around the world started asking for it. Bringing the experience to Uluru began when an Ayers Rock Resort executive heard Munro on radio. The Uluru version is the largest yet, covering 49,000 square metres.
Field of Light opened in 2016 to instant success and continues to help fill the resort; more than 200,000 visitors have seen it. When Munro visited again last year, he described Field of Light as "a sort of thank you".
"I feel incredibly indebted to the place," Munro says, acknowledging that the work changed the course of his career. Munro is now known worldwide for his giant light installations. During his visit, he drew even more inspiration from the Central Desert.
"I've been thinking about lots of different things while I'm here," he said, "and those will eventually materialise into a new piece of work."