Imagine this: You’re walking along one of the many serene pathways at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Reds, blues, and pinks color the fields around you. But they’re not painted with your average wildflowers — these wildflowers are spherical, and they’re glowing.
We’re not describing a dream. We’re imagining what it will be like to explore the Field of Light coming to the wildflower center this September.
The critically acclaimed art installation, which was announced this week, will feature 28,000 glowing orbs on stems, brilliantly lighting up 16 acres in the Arboretum with rainbow hues.
The spheres glow using solar power + fiber optics — or thin, flexible strands of glass that transmit light — depicting the intersection of art, technology, and nature. The installation is not meant to distract from the landscape, but to celebrate it.
“My hope is that the Field of Light installation will inspire visitors to contemplate a kinder and more connected world,” said artist Bruce Munro in a press release.
London-born Munro’s large-scale and light-based artworks have been featured in parks, estates, cathedrals, and museums. A passionate study of light in all its forms, Munro also draws inspiration from shared human experiences.
Munro developed the concept for the Field of Light during a journey through Australia’s Red Desert more than a decade ago, but the installation wasn’t brought to life until several years later at his family home in Wiltshire, England. Since then, the Field of Light has blanketed landscapes in South Korea, Denmark, Australia, and several locations in the US.
The installation now makes its way to Austin for the first time in collaboration with the wildflower center and C3 Presents, an Austin-based company that hosts festivals, concerts, and events. Opening Fri., Sept. 9 and lasting through December, the event’s tickets will go on sale in July.
Keep in the loop — or just ogle at the views — on Instagram @fieldoflightaustin.
