Why ‘Field of Light’ is my ultimate Holiday Gift to NYC

This past week, a long-awaited artistic spectacle finally made its debut on Manhattan’s East Side — “Field of Light.” Set on vast empty plot at Freedom Plaza directly facing FDR Drive and the East River, “Field of Light” features almost 20,000 hand-crafted illuminated flower stems that when viewed together, comprise a remarkable “Fiend of Light.”

Anglo-Australian was inspired by blooms of desert flowers in Australia to create “Field of Light,” which was first mounted in London nearly two decades ago. Since then, the work has been displayed everywhere from Mexico to Australian — and now NYC, where it is on display through the end of 2024. Here, artist Munro explains the story behind “Field of Light” and the light he hopes it will bring to New York.

Light has always played a major part in my life and work, and therefore for me, it is a natural medium to use. Light reminds us that even in dark and challenging times, hope exists. 

From the moment that I arrived in New York and saw Freedom Plaza nestled between the iconic skyline and the serene East River in the shadow of the United Nations, I knew that it was the ideal location for my illuminated artwork known as Field of Light. New York City is the metropolis of possibilities, it embodies a creative spirit that is truly second to none. My hope for Field of Light was to create a place for contemplation and transformation as we move forward into the New Year. 

Art has the power to bring neighbors and communities together. I am grateful to have been commissioned to recreate an artwork that was inspired 33 years ago while on a road trip through the Red Desert in the Northern Territory of Australia.   

Deserts have many incongruities, they are infertile, barren places, until it rains and then they bloom like a veritable Eden. In that place and at that moment, I instantly felt alive and overwhelmed with an immense sense of joy and connection to the world around me. The Field of Light installation was an idea that landed in my sketchbook and kept on nagging at me, it just had to be done.

I wanted to create a field of light stems that, like the dormant seed in a dry desert, would quietly wait until darkness falls and then under a blazing blanket of southern stars, bloom with gentle rhythms of light. I found that by placing an alien installation in the midst of nature, the enormous contrast created allowed one to literally see the wood from the trees with a clear and present perspective. 

From the first installation 10 years later that flourished on an ancient hill in southwest England, Field of Light has shimmered its way through the seasons, presenting a myriad of opportunities for passersby to catch glimpses of nature’s brilliant guises and renewal. And while the design format and technology have evolved over time and with each location, the meaning of Field of Light remains the same.  

Field of Light is an expression inspired by a feeling of connection. Field of Light, and most appropriately, the new installation at Freedom Plaza, stands for boundless imagination and the freedom to hope and to dream.

In recent years, I have had many more ideas about the meaning of the field and an equal number of ways to express these thoughts, but my instinct tells me that that’s not what I am meant to do. My job is to make Field of Light happen, and to encourage those around me to join in on the project. 

Hundreds of hand took part in preparing the once vacant Midtown Manhattan lot that is now home to Field of Dreams. In the weeks leading up to the installation’s opening, scores of neighbors and community members graciously volunteered their time help bring the work to life. Working closely with the Bruce Munro Studio team, volunteers attached each glass sphere to its stem and secured it into its base before assisting with its placement and connection to the fiber optic thread spread throughout the six -plus-acre field. The result – nearly 19,000 individual stems that glitter together with hope, a spectacular outcome that no one individual could accomplish on their own. 

In truth, the Field of Light was a gift given to me from that ancient red desert landscape. Together with the Soloviev Foundation, it is an honor to now share this gift with the good people of New York. 

It is my sincere hope that this beacon of light in Midtown Manhattan will continue to bring people together, and eventually create storms of kindness and humanity that blossom with hope elsewhere in the world. Art is a universal language and I see light as a way to communicate feelings. Simply said, life is miraculous, and we are all a part of it.

Bruce Munro is the artist of “Field of Light”