On the 13^th November 2013, the grounds of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire became a home to a series of six winter light installations by Bruce Munro.

Bruce Munro, 54, is a British installation artist and is best known for his lighting installations. Munro has a self-proclaimed passion for ‘light in all its forms’ and his works reflect this passion and his undying fascination of its transformative capabilities. His works have been exhibited at famous museums such as the V&A Museum and was featured as an example of outstanding lighting design in the book titled, ‘How to Design a Light’. In 2012 his work was also show-cased at a major critically acclaimed solo exhibition, ‘Light’ at Longwood Gardens, Pensylvania USA, one of the most prestigious botanical gardens in the USA. 

Winter Light at Waddesdon features works such as Water-Towers, Tepees and River of Light, a new presentation of his acclaimed installation Field of Light. Apart from the well-known installations, two works have been created specifically for the exhibition; Parliament of Owls, a totemic ‘tree’ from which pairs of bird-like glass eyes wink and blink at passers-by and Mynah Words, featuring a series of ultra-violet tubes and laser-cut speech bubbles. Most of Munro’s works are site-specific installations and most of the works are specifically designed to harmonize with the respective environments. You can do an outdoor trail through the Gardens for a full experience to witness the spectacular works illuminating the grounds of Manor. 

Bruce Munro, Blue Moon on a Platter at Waddesdon, 2012 ©Bruce Munro/Photo by Mark Pickthall

The installation, the River of Light, is made up of almost 6,500 lighted glass spheres that are arranged in a specific geometric format aimed to make it appear to flow like a river. One of Munro’s aims is that the light sculptures will encourage visitors to explore the landscape with a totally different perspective.

The exhibition will be opened every afternoon from 3pm to 8pm until 1 January 2014. Visitors can explore the decorations in the house as well as explore the trail around the gardens as the sun begins to set. Winter Light at Waddesdon will definitely light up the festive season this year.