As the day comes to an end and darkness begins to fall, the giant red monolith is thrown into silhouette and the surrounding bush into a serene darkness. This is when Field of Light illuminates, lighting up the landscape for as far as the eye can see in a gentle rhythm of interchanging colours.
This critically acclaimed light installation is the brain-child of internationally celebrated artist, Bruce Munro, and is aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or, when translated in the local language of Pitjantjatjara, ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’. It is his largest work to date with the installation covering the overwhelming size of more than seven football fields and includes over 50,000 spindles of light set on swaying stems creating a never-before-seen fantasy garden.
As the lights gently progress through a symphony of desert-inspired colours including traditional ochre, deep violet, bold blue and a gentle white, you experience the Australian outback and Red Centre in, quite literally, a whole new light. This impressive light show mirrors the brilliant sky of stars that hang overhead, immersing you in a completely new world.
The British artist originally conceived the idea back in 1992 after eight years spent living in Australia. Munro found himself inspired while camping at Uluru and pictured a landscape of illuminated stems that lay dormant until darkness falls, then, under a clear sky of blazing southern stars, these stems bloom into gentle rhythms of light and colour. Known for his immersive, site-specific installations that use light to evoke an emotional response in an often-outdoor environment, Munro’s Field of Light certainly doesn’t disappoint.
If you want to enhance your Field of Light experience, there are plenty of options for you to pick from. Enjoy a drink or dinner (with a mouthwatering menu including barramundi with lemon myrtle cream and native dukkah crusted kangaroo followed by a desert lime cheesecake) while taking in the colourful visuals in front of you. Or why not have a pre-Field of Light camel or helicopter ride? For early birds there is also the option to visit the installation in the morning and witness it in combination with a stunning sunrise.
The Field of Light has in fact been so popular that its end date has been extended indefinitely, so there’s no excuse not to take the time out and visit this impressive visual spectacle.
Written by Georgina Smerd.
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