Field of Light: Avenue of Honour

An act of remembrance, glowing in Albany Mt Clarence in Albany. A permanent site of remembrance and, commemorating 100 years since the end of WWI, a temporary site for art. Thousands of lights glowing under the memorial trees on the Avenue of Honour, in an installation by FORM and world-renowned artist Bruce Munro.

Immersive, site-specific, ephemeral, free: public art that connects to emotion.

Imagine a sea of glass spheres on fibre optic stems, lighting up each sunset in the colours of the wattle and the kowhai, national flowers of Australia and New Zealand. A walk-through experience that plays on emotions, associations, memory and senses.

This major installation by international artist Bruce Munro was a multi-partner project combining art, history, volunteerism, tourism, and legacy building for Albany. It was installed at Albany’s Avenue of Honour on Mount Clarence between October 2018 and April 2019.

This project was initiated by FORM, who commissioned the artist and managed the three-year process in partnership with City of Albany and Tourism Western Australia, with support from Lotterywest, Christine & Kerry Stokes AC, and the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund.

The project has contributed to positioning Albany as a global tourist destination, including meaningful engagement between the artist and the community, and highlighted the important history of the town and the sacrifices of war to a broad audience. Field of Light: Avenue of Honour was visited by over 186,000 people, of whom nearly 30,000 came to the South-West region specifically to see the installation. According to a Tourism WA commissioned independent study, the installation generated total visitor expenditure of $17,166,991 in the Great Southern, and a total of 82,238 visitor nights in the region. Over $4million worth of media coverage achieved (iSentia), and 75 volunteers were engaged throughout the lifecycle of the project.

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Field of Light: Avenue of Honour shows how art—combined with place and story—can be a visitor drawcard, and become a powerfully lasting human experience.

The last glimpse of Australia for the Anzacs - Albany was the last glimpse of Australia for the Anzac troops departing for the battlefields of World War I. This artwork is a tribute to them, and to all who have served or lost loved ones in every conflict since.