MASTER
OF LIGHT Bruce Munro is one of the most innovative artists working with light today. Many of his most influential ideas were formed during an eight year visit to Australia in the mid-80s
Abigail Bryant Above right: Bruce Munro Below: Bruce Munro, Field of Light, 2008, Eden Project, Cornwall Bruce Munro, Field of Light, 2013, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, Tennessee, USA
unro’s large-scale immersive light artwork such as Field of Light and Water-Towers has been described as ‘serene, surreal and cerebral’. Field of Light, created from thousands of acrylic stems, topped with glass spheres and threaded with fibre optics, has evolved over several iterations, including exhibitions in London at Kensington Palace and the V&A and the Eden Project, Cornwall since its first incarnation in 2004 in the field behind Munro’s house in rural Wiltshire, UK. On the subject of his most
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recognisable work, the artist says ‘Field of Light has many guises and amazingly it’s a catalyst that helps people appreciate the space. It also seems to inspire good feeling in people.’ Talk to Munro about the inspiration for his work and you’ll soon discover that each piece he creates in the here and now is a manifestation of thoughts, feelings, memories and experiences collected and curated over the last thirty years. Of his approach he says, ‘an idea in my head only goes so far. The process of an installation starts with an idea. It can be quite a long journey from start to finish.’ When interviewed he often mentions his lifelong habit of journaling and