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National

UK artist Bruce Munro to illuminate Kings Canyon resort with Light Towers installation

After the success of international artist Bruce Munro's permanent Field of Light installation at Uluru, a second light exhibition is under construction at Kings Canyon resort, 324 kilometres away.

UK sculptor and artist Mr Munro said the new Light Towers would be opened at the Kings Canyon resort in April 2023.

"Light Towers is really focused on this idea that sound and words collide," he said.

"There are 69 towers … I don't know the exact number of bottles but it's roughly 220 bottles per tower."

Mr Munro said fibre optic cables would be installed within the towers and each would be taller than an average human.

"There is a beautiful sound element, which is created from many, many voices coming together," he said.

"They are from different cultures or different ways of singing with voice."

The theme of the installation is "from sunrise to sunset".

"It's a 24-hour circle, maybe a circle of healing, just to bring one's attention to the moment and the fact that we all need to maybe come together," Mr Munro said.

"I just thought when I when I walked the location and visited it on several times that [Light Towers] would be the most appropriate.

"[Light Towers] is something that I've always believed should be quite near to the Field of Light because they're connected, sort of emotionally and spiritually."

The project was made possible through a partnership with the G'day Group, which runs the accommodation services at the resort.

Multi-million-dollar investment

Discovery Group CEO Grant Wilckens said the installation was part of a multi-million-dollar investment into the property.

"We've just approved another $16 million, which doesn't all go to the Light Tower project. But it's a combination of upgrades throughout the property," Mr Wilckens said.

Mr Wilckens is hoping to capitalise on visitation to Uluru's Field of Light.

"We feel as though there'll be a Bruce Munro tour that we can promote to guests in the region," he said.

"Rather than just coming to the rock, they come to the rock and then they come to Kings Canyon, and then they go to the West MacDonnell Ranges."

'Game changer'

Tourism Central Australia's Danial Rochford welcomed the news despite the national carrier having a monopoly on Alice Springs.

"This is a game changer for tourism, not only in the Watarrka region but for the wider Central Australian region," he said.

"To have an installation like that of the Field of Light installed at [Kings Canyon resort] is certainly going to put our region firmly on the global map."

Mr Rochford said having visitors stay in the region longer would help tourism businesses recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

"By having this installation, it gives people an extra reason to stay another night, and to look at various other experiences that are being developed across the Red Centre Way," he said.

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