Field of Light

This exhibition documents the largest and one of the most important public artworks displayed in Edinburgh in recent years. 'Field of Light' by UK artist Bruce Munro consists of 9,500 illuminated spheres on lighted stalks which gradually change colour and cast their undulating glow across the space. The aim of the exhibition is to be immersive and accessible to the general public. Pedestrians are invited to wander through the square enjoying the other worldly nature of the light and to see the grand Georgian architecture of the square in a new way.

Munro found inspiration for the installation while travelling through the deserts of central Australia to visit the mystical rock Uluru and was moved by the interplay of light, heat and colour on the landscape. The concept was in development for almost a decade before Munro first set up the installation in the field behind his Wiltshire home in 2004. Since then the Field has been displayed in many prestigious locations on both sides of the Atlantic such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Eden Project in Cornwall and Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States.

Munro has described the Field of Light as a 'chameleon.' The installation is never the same twice, altering its composition to best suit its surroundings whether that be in a museum grounds or in a rolling botanical park. Interestingly Edinburgh has been the first time the installation has been set up in a completely urban setting.