27 November 2011

Field of Light Blooms in the Night

The Holburne Museum in Bath in the United Kingdom is giving its visitors a new winter experience – and it makes a very cool change from the usual decorative lights we see at this time of year!  

Field of Light, the artwork of acclaimed lighting artist Bruce Munro, was yesterday switched on in the grounds of the Museum.

Field of Light at the Holburne consists of over 5,000 bulbs of light planted in the grounds of the Museum and flowing into the Garden Cafe. Acrylic stems are topped by frosted spheres which are threaded with fibre optic cables and lit by a colour projector. The result is quite magical, as both colour and light flow through the bulbs to create a uniquely captivating experience.

The starting point for Bruce Munro's motivation to produce this artwork was nearly twenty years ago while he was doing his walkabout in Australia. He became fascinated by the way the barren dessert would explode into blossom after rain. Field of Light too lies dormant during the hours of day light, but when darkness falls the bulbs flower with gentle rhythms of light and patterns of color.

Just another reason for visiting Bath, an ancient but still culturally vibrant city in the south west of England. I can only imagine how excited I would have been by this when I was a child by measuring how in awe of it I am as an adult.

Kuriositas would like to thank Flickr photographers Harry_S (his website is Chris Harrison Photography) and Ricksphotos101 (aka Rick Breakspear) for allowing us to show you their photographs of the Field of Light. Please visit their Flickr Photostreams to enjoy more of their marvelous work.