World-renowned artist’s Field of Light installation comes to Salcombe

The Salcombe Field of Light is an art installation of 20,000 fibre optic lights on stems that will glow across 35,000 square meters of fields opposite Salcombe. It opens on Saturday 5 October and will run to 10 January, 2025, from dusk to 10pm daily. Over 12 months of planning and more than 300 volunteers have made possible the largest art installation of its type ever attempted in the region.

The public can view the light display free of charge from the waterfront in Salcombe and can also sponsor a light stem for £20 and dedicate it to someone special in their life. All funds raised will go to the RNLI to help save lives at sea for the next 200 years.

British artist Bruce Munro is best known for producing large immersive light-based installations, and Salcombe the town holds a special significance for him. Bruce spent his youth in Salcombe working in Dusters Restaurant and living in the community. During that time, he got to know some of the volunteer lifeboat crew, listening to their stories of rescues around our coast. His passion for the RNLI and the volunteers that make its work possible never left him and this is his way of saying thank you to our crews for their work. He said: ‘I am hopeful that in Salcombe, it will also inspire, creating wonderment but also drawing attention to the mysteriousness of the landscape and the darkness that surrounds it.’

The Salcombe Field of Light has been donated by Bruce free of charge, as a thank you to the work the RNLI crews do around our coastline and the communities who support them. It’s hoped that the art will raise significant funds for the RNLI by allowing people to dedicate a light in celebration of a life. It’s also hoped to extend the season for local businesses and be a catalyst for other arts and culture projects in the UK.

The Field of Light is a personal symbol for the wonders of nature and the magic of life.

For more information about the installation, Bruce Munro and to sponsor a stem please visit https://salcombefieldoflight.com/

Or visit https://www.instagram.com/salcombe_field_of_light/

Media opportunities

· Switch on will take place at 6.24pm on Saturday 5 October

· Filming and interview opportunities with RNLI spokespeople and the artist himself will be available for media in Salcombe on Saturday 5 October 2024. Additional opportunities can be made available on request for media wanting to gather content in advance, including capturing the installation.

· Please contact David or Emma on the contact details below to discuss requests and opportunities

RNLI media contacts

For more information, please contact David Dancox, Lifeboat Press Officer in Salcombe at [email protected] or Emma Haines, Regional Communications Manager [email protected] or 07786 668847 or the RNLI Press Office on [email protected] or 01202 336789.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.