Lighting up in Albany

Kalpana Sunder

Thousands of dots of lights sway like flowers in the breeze silhouetted against the dark skies… It’s an awe-inspiring sight clusters of 16,000 softly glowing glass globes with LED lights and acrylic stems, under tall trees that stand like human arms… We are at the epic art installation Field of Light: Avenue of Honour, in Albany, Western Australia where a blaze of lights, besides gargantuan gum trees, cherishes the lives lost in the war. Lined up to 350 metre on either side of the road, these squiggles of optic fibres that look like abstract art are the work of talented British light artist Bruce Munro.

Albany, on the south eastern coast of Western Australia was the first town in Western Australia where the Europeans landed; today people head to this town lined, with colonial buildings, for its pristine beaches and national parks. It’s also a pilgrimage for those interested in Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC) history. It was from the harbour here that 41,000 troops from ANZAC left for the battlefields of Gallipoli, the western front and Egypt, during World War I. It was the last sight of home for many who did not return from the War. When soldiers left Albany, it was the wildflower season, many of the soldiers had flowers in their hands or tucked into their hats, contrasting with their khaki uniforms. Today the Anzac centre on Mount Clarence explores history with multimedia exhibits, letters written by soldiers with the personal narratives of 32 characters drawn from the War.

Commissioned by the City of Albany and an independent cultural organisation called FORM, this light installation on Mount Clarence, depicts the sacrifices made by many young soldiers and emphasises the need for peace and reconciliation. Artist Munro, who is famous for such site specific light installations, graduated from art school in Bristol, London and found his inspiration for the Field of Light when he was travelling in 1992 through the barren red desert in Australia to Uluru or Ayers Rock. This installation which comes alive at dusk was probably inspired by the nights spent in camps off the highway, watching stars. The artist has worked with mundane things like compact disks, recyclable water bottles, and discarded fluorescent tubes, in his art installations, playing with light and creating magic.

“I have always been moved by words and language; and then one day, I realised there was a language in light,” says Bruce Munro.

The audio guide that streams from the  phone talks about some of the people who left Albany for the battle fields. Nellie Saw, a nurse who died at 29 and was buried with full military honours, aboriginal serviceman Larry Farmer who was killed in action in France — he was a talented footballer. Many lives were lost and bright futures cut short. Bruce Munro says, “If the Field of Light stands for anything, it’s this, let us live in peace, not in war.”

“It took 50 volunteers and 10 days to plant the light installation here,” explains guide, Michal Zdanowicz. “The ultra-low energy LED lights change colour from gold to luminous   green to white, inspired by Albany’s biodiversity and representing New Zealand’s national flower kowhai and the Australian wattle”. 

“Many young people have appreciated this ephemeral memorial, and said it helps them identify better with their history,” says Michal. From a distance, the light clusters look like soldiers and their commanders standing in battle formation. What is most evocative is the emotional power of the place itself. With silence broken only by the sound of the wind through the trees and the glowing lights.