Darwin is renowned for its laid-back vibe, stunning beaches and lush national parks, and a fusion dining scene guaranteed to send your tastebuds into a state of bliss. Soon, there will be another reason to add this northern paradise to your travel hit list - Bruce Munro: Tropical Light.
Munro, the artist behind the critically acclaimed Field of Light at Uluru, is gearing up to open one of his most ambitious projects yet: lighting up Darwin with a new exhibition inspired by the place itself.
From 1 November 1 2019 until 30 April 2020, Bruce Munro: Tropical Light is a chance to experience Darwin and the tropical summer in a whole new light.
Although traditionally a quieter season in the Top End, the tropical summer is a magical time when the city, its surrounds and nearby national parks are at their most spectacular.
The exhibition will feature eight dazzling illuminated sculptures by Munro. They lean heavily on his personal experience of visiting Darwin, with each delving into a different facet of this culturally diverse city.
Munro’s work will be complemented by six pieces created by Northern Territory artists, including Bev Garside and Paul Arnold, with the artworks linked by a winding 2.5km self-guided walking trail through the city.
‘Tropical Light’ is Bruce Munro’s only city wide exhibition in the world. Photograph: Tourism NT
Munro says the Territory has been a long-time source of inspiration for his artworks, with a visit to the NT in the early 1990s inspiring his most famous piece.
“Living and travelling around Australia in my 20s and 30s really inspired and helped shape me as a person,” Munro says. “Thirty years on it continues to inspire me.
“Uluru was a major inspiration for me; it completely got under my skin. When I got back to the UK, I obsessed about trying to re-create this feeling, this idea of the energy I felt and the clarity of light at Uluru. I felt there was an artistic way I could express that.”
It took Munro 12 years to fully realise that vision: the now-iconic Field of Light.
It was designed and assembled in his backyard, and Munro never thought it would go beyond there – but it did. After it had showcased in a few locations, word of mouth spread about the evocative artwork, leading to it becoming a roaming installation.
A visitor walking through the Field of Light art installation... Photograph: Mitchell Cox/Tourism NT
The Field of Light art installation at Uluru has become a global phenomenon. Photograph: Mitchell Cox/Tourism NT
“One day I got a call from the ABC in Alice Springs for an interview, because they’d heard the inspiration for the Field of Light was Uluru,” Munro says. “That led to a conversation with Voyages, who wanted to feature it in their resort. That phone call started this amazing journey.”
Three years on, Munro has been lucky enough to not only realise the Field of Light at Ayers Rock Resort (where it has been extended until December 2020) but several other opportunities that have since come his way - one being the upcoming Darwin exhibition.
“The interest for me is seeing if we can create this journey around the city, to create an extra reason for people to visit Darwin,” Munro says. “Then, they’ll discover what an incredible place it really is. There’s just so much to see and I don’t think people realise.”
Bruce Munro. Photograph: Mark Pickthall.
Among the sculptures specifically created for the exhibition is Telegraph Road, inspired by Darwin’s role as the first connection on the Overland Telegraph line. Completed in 1872, the line ran from Port Augusta, South Australia, to Darwin, and from there connected Australia to the rest of the world. The abstract artwork will feature fibre optics that flash the first morse code message communicated on that network every 15 minutes.
Another piece, Green Flash, was inspired by Munro’s first visit to Darwin back in 1992.
“It was the first time I’d seen the sun set into the sea,” Munro recalls.
“I’d heard about this rare phenomenon when the sun sinks over the water on a clear day. In that very last moment before it disappears, it’s said to create a brief flash of green light. I tried, and failed, to photograph it. But I thought, I’m going to create a piece about that.
“The artwork is a rising sun made of 1,000 bottles set atop a geodesic dome structure. The sun will be illuminated by rolling colours of deep red, orange and yellow. Once every hour or so, we’ll momentarily flash it green and back to red, creating our own green flash.”
‘Green Flash’ by Bruce Munro. Photograph: Bruce Munro Ltd.
Although the exhibition is only running for six months, Munro hopes Tropical Light will continue to inspire visitors to Darwin and the Top End long after it has finished.
“I’m not doing this exhibition on my own; there are so many talented people and local artists involved,” Munro says. “The pieces are relevant to Darwin. It’s about a city getting together and putting on this series of installations, and I think that’s what’s so exciting about it.
“We’ve put 100% into everything. We’ve built and tested every element very carefully. I’m just excited about installing it and spending more time in Darwin.
“Darwin is like no other city in Australia - and I think that’s reason enough to visit.”
Book your Tropical Light summer escape with Virgin Australia.
