In the rolling hills of Paso Robles, CA there is a most amazing art installation: Field of Light, by British artist Bruce Munro.
Consisting of over 58,800 spheres on 2.5′ stems and lit by solar-powered fiber optics, they illuminate the countryside in every color of the rainbow – and gradually change their hues.
It’s part of a larger series of Field of Light installations that stretch across the globe. You can view more of his installations at the Munro Website.
His inspiration for the projects came from a camping trip in Australia’s Red Desert to Uluru Rock (also known as Ayres) where he was struck by how the desert appears barren and infertile – until a rainfall makes the flowers bloom.
Munro envisioned a field of lights like dormant seeds in a dry desert that would “bloom” when darkness fell. This inspiration was realized in Munro’s installation at Uluru Rock in Australia – which uses 326 miles of optic fiber to create. It is on display indefinitely.
The Paso Robles installation covers 15 acres of Sensorio – an interactive garden and art center owned by Ken Hunter. It took five weeks for 20 staff members and other volunteers to construct the exhibit. Over 2,000 people visited it on just the first weekend it was opened.
The Field of Light display at Sensorio is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 7 to 11 PM until June 2020. Adult admission is $27 on Wednesday and Thursday and $30 Friday through Sunday. Tickets for children age 12 and under are $9 on Wednesday, $18 on Thursday and $19 Friday through Sunday. Children under age 2 get in for free. To learn more and reserve tickets, visit sensoriopaso.com or call (805) 226-4287.
Needless to say, it’s been a magnet for photographers – so let’s enjoy some of the ephemeral beauty. And I’ll admit I’m going a little overboard. But they were all so gorgeous (not sure you could take a bad picture) I couldn’t decide what to eliminate – so I didn’t!
Attr.: Serena Munro – His wife
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8 Responses to “Friday Fun: Field of Light”
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These pictures are absolutely fantastic and gorgeous!!! The work put into this is amazing too. Kudos to Bruce Munro, for his installation.
I see that Paso Robles is a city in San Luis Obispo County, which, in of itself is beautiful.
When we lived in California years ago, I loved driving and spending weekends there, with family.
I always wished that I had the money to buy a house in that area, as the landscape, beaches, and
countryside was and is, very appealing to me.
Thank you, Nameless for sharing this delightful post, appreciate the beauty of it all, from the pics.
Breathtakingly gorgeous! And utterly amazing.
I’ve been to (really through) Paso Robles, but not for over forty years. Nice little place – at least it used to be little. No doubt this has had and/or will have an effect. The “robles” are live oaks – not deciduous, yet not in the “evergreen” families (which essentially comprise pine, fir, spruce, and cedar )- so, leaves, not needles, but all the time.
Another brilliant post – in every sense.
After taking longer looks at the photos, I am reminded of my uncle, who use to take the most glorious photos of the Firefall in Yosemite -when he was alive and there was still one with actual fire. Oh, yeah, and before digital cameras, using 35mm. He once told me his secret:
If you just went and took a photo of the firefall, you would get a photo of a meaningless red and yellow streak on black. To avoid that, you needed a double exposure, well planned. You needed to set up your camera and tripod and focus it in a well-planned out way on the cliff. Then , during twilight, you needed a time exposure to get the background shapes into the photo, not too bright, but bright enough to see. Finally, you made a second exposure to capture the firefall itself. Of course, during this time, you guarded your camera/tripod with your life and prayed for no earthquakes!
Am I imagining similar preparation in some of the shots of these fields? Or are digital cameras now so good that it is no longer necessary? (The questions are rhetorical, of course. Only the photographer knows for sure.)
Well, I don’t know specifics WRT cameras.
But there were a couple of posts voicing concern WRT tripods being used and being NOT very visible to those walking the path.
Understandably the paths were dimly lit, so spread-out tripod legs would be an easy hazard to trip over.
Truly breathtaking. And solar-powered too, so we’re allowed to admire it with an unburdened conscience.
Thanks, Nameless.
Magnificent, Nameless!
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks Nameless–drove by there in August. They are visible from quite a distance so even those riding on the highway can enjoy (i.e., on a horse or in a car–lots of horses in the area)