Field of Light installation, Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia.
Field of Light installation, Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia.
At the base of Uluru, Joanne Williamson sees the ancient rock in a whole new light.
The artist had a vision of bringing light to Uluru. The tourism executive was sold on the dream and they made it happen, with exceptional results.
So far thousands of people have flocked to central Australia to see Bruce Munro's Field of Light, which opened in April 2016, initially for a year-long run at the foot of Ayers Rock.
Ray Stone, executive general manager of Voyages, which runs the Ayers Rock Resort, had the idea to bring the Field of Light to Uluru after hearing an interview with Munro on local radio.
The public response has been overwhelming, with bookings at the resort at record levels, and the installation's run extended to February 2018.
Munro added 50,000 delicate frosted glass globes of different hues at the base of Uluru, where visitors can wander through the fields at dusk, night and dawn and watch the colours change against the rock. Each time of day brings a different version of the spectacle.
Dining at Field of Light, Uluru.
My alarm went off at 4.30am and I was soon on the coach to the viewing platform for the dawn experience.
And there, in the very quiet of the early morning with a blanket of stars still shining down, the magic of the field took hold.
The subtly-coloured lights, designed to enhance the colours of Uluru, twinkle back. But it's as the sun rises, with the arrival of the soft early morning light, that the whole field changes and takes on a new life.
The evening event gives us another experience altogether, as the sunset lights the field in new hues. Wine and canapes are on hand at what could be the greatest art gallery of all time.
This - the magic of light together with the magic of Uluru - is what Munro wanted people to experience.
The idea started in 1992 when as a backpacker from England, he visited Uluru and left inspired to follow a career as an artist specialising in light.
He created his first Field of Light installation in 2004 for London's Victoria and Albert Museum, and finally got to return to where it all started and show his appreciation for the spiritual centre of Australia in the most spectacular way, after the approach from Stone.
For Munro, it's not about trying to better Uluru, but about saying thank you "for giving me that idea and inspiration".
"It was that joyful feeling, which I recognised was something worthy to make art about and that really changed my life," he said of his first visit nearly 25 years ago.
He liaised with local Pitinjarra people early on.
"I didn't want anyone thinking I was coming in to push something on to a very special place. It is simply saying I was a kid and it inspired me so much this is what it made me do."
Getting from vision to reality took more than nine months of work, including six months in a studio designing and building the delicate light stems.
"The dining experience, Night of Field of Light, is proving to be extremely popular and is often sold out in advance."
Night of Field of Light, where guests can enjoy a three-course meal while watching the lights change, is just one of a number of ways visitors can view the work.
"I am going to be pinching myself for a while thinking that we actually took the Field of Light back to Uluru," says Munro.
CHECKLIST
Getting there Alice Springs Airport is serviced daily by flights from all Australian capitals. Uluru is approximately 450km from Alice.
Staying there Only 20km from Uluru, Ayers Rock Resort provides a variety of accommodation options and Uluru holiday deals.
