Uluru’s Field of Light, the internationally acclaimed art installation by famed British-Australian artist Bruce Munro, has undergone a major refurbishment and has been extended until at least April 2027, Ayers Rock Resort has announced.
The revitalisation saw Bruce’s team replace all the luminous and fibre optics that make up the installation. The revamp ensures the award-winning artwork — which has been visited by more than 730,000 people since its 2016 launch and is Bruce’s longest-standing work — remains a huge drawcard for regional tourism.
Bruce says: "Creating the Field of Light at Uluru was a dream come true and it’s a personal joy to see that it still shines bright in the landscape that inspired it.”
Named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakunytjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in the local Pitjantjatjara language, the installation was designed to symbolise the desert blooming after rain. It features 50,000 solar-powered spindles of light covering more than seven football fields, which breathe and sway as they change colour through a spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and white.
The signature ‘A Night at Field of Light’ dining experience has also been upgraded. This exclusive 4.5-hour event now includes telescopes for enhanced stargazing; a refreshed canapé and buffet menu, featuring dishes like pineapple and lemon myrtle gazpacho and smoked kangaroo with native pepperberry yoghurt; and new table lighting, centrepieces and crockery.
Matt Cameron-Smith, CEO of Ayers Rock Resort’s operator, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, says: "Field of Light has been an Ulu?u must-do for almost a decade now and we’re delighted to see it revitalised and extended, so guests can continue to be wowed by its special, ethereal magic.”
Field of Light fun facts:
•Made up of 300,000 components.
•Covers an area of more than 49,000 square metres.
•More than 380 km of optical fibre is used in the installation. If this was laid out in a straight line it is the distance from Sydney to Wagga Wagga, or LA to Las Vegas.
•Took more than 2800 hours to design and build and another 39,000 hours to recreate onsite.
•It is Bruce’s first solar-powered installation and has 36 portable solar panels interfaced with 144 projectors.
