Santa Claus in front of Saks Fifht Avenue. All Photos by R.C. Staab 2023
Along the East River just south of the United Nations Plaza, the largest track of undeveloped open land in Manhattan is transforming each night into a spectacular light display thanks to the efforts of artist Bruce Munro and the Soloviev Foundation.
At dusk each night, Field of Light at Freedom Plaza features an array of 18,750 lowlight, fiber-optic stemmed spheres that illuminate with a slow subtle change of hue. Guests walk through the walk through installation along windings paths, painting an ethereal landscape framed by the United Nations building, Manhattan's skyline and looking across the East River to the Borough of
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Queens. The site is accessed from 41st Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive. It's bounded on the west by 1st Avenue, on the south by 38th Street.
Field of Light is open from 5-9pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. See below for more information about tickets
“The Soloviev Foundation and its predecessor foundation have a long history of promoting art and artists. At Freedom Plaza, we needed something different, something special. Covid had cast a long shadow and we wanted to bring back light to our great city and country. We wanted to offer hope and joy to our residents. After looking wide and far, we came upon the artist Bruce Munro. Someone, who, like us, wanted to instill a sense of exhilaration, well-being, and optimism through his art,” said Stefan Soloviev, Principal of the Soloviev Foundation and Chairman of the Soloviev Group.
British artist Bruce Munro is best known for producing large immersive light-based installations, which often employ a massing of components by the thousands. His reoccurring motif is the use of light on an environmental scale in order to create an emotional response for the viewer. His work has been shown at museums and botanical gardens throughout the world including Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia and the The Victoria & Albert Museum in London
Field of Light at Freedom Plaza is free of charge, BUT tickets are already sold out through February. Visit fieldoflightnyc.com and follow @fieldoflightnyc on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for information and updates about securing tickets for this spring, summer and fall.
Field of Light as seen from Ist Avenue in the daylight.
For those without a ticket, the installation will be lit Sunday through Wednesday evenings and visible from the site’s perimeter. The best views are near 38th Street and 1st Avenue.
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