Sensorio brings light back to Paso Robles with new installation
While a dry winter threatens California’s wildflower season, the Field of Light visual spectacle returns to Paso Robles. Immersive art destination Sensorio plans to reopen April 15 with a newly added immersive light installation, Light Towers.
In addition to the existing Field of Light, made up of 58,000 solar-powered, fiber-optic lights spread over a 15-acre field, London-born artist Bruce Munro has added a tribute to the area’s 200plus wineries and vineyards with the new Light Towers, featuring 69 towers composed of more than 17,000 wine bottles, whose glowing optic fibers inside change colors to a custom musical score.
Light Towers is inspired by Water-Towers, Munro’s earlier work originally created for the arcaded cloisters at Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, England. Its musical soundtrack is “Rise and Shine,” composed by Orlando Gough and performed by a vocal ensemble also utilizing rubbed wine glasses.
The 69 towers are composed of 17,388 wine bottles — 252 bottles per tower — rising 6 feet high and illuminated in gently morphing color. The entire exhibit is solar-powered and Light Towers uses approximately the same power as four 60-watt lightbulbs.
Since opening in May 2019, the Field of Light attraction has drawn about 200,000 visitors, according to a Sensorio news release. It closed in December due to statewide COVID-19 restrictions.
“We look forward to once again welcoming guests to our exhibition, which has been closed since early December in accordance with state shelter-in-place mandates,” Sensorio Executive Director Paul Haught said in the news release. “We are reopening based on the assumption that it will be approved and safe to enjoy this outdoor exhibit in mid-April, but will be monitoring state and local restrictions, and reopening dates may be subject to change.”
Ticket holders may reschedule admission tickets without penalty in the event of any future shutdowns.
The newly renamed Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. beginning April 15. Starting in June, it will also be open Sundays.
Tickets must be purchased in advance to guarantee admission, although some walk-up tickets may be made available at the door beginning at 8:30 p.m. when guests depart.
Admission ranges from $30-$40 (plus fees) and $9.50-$19 for children 12 and under. Children under 2 are admitted free. A VIP experience ($79-$104, plus fees) is also available with priority entry, a drink ticket, exclusive access to a private VIP terrace with reserved seating, charcuterie or crudités platter (with VIP Platter), private restrooms, Airstream bar, fireside tables and the best views of the exhibition.
Sensorio is located at 4380 Highway 46 East in Paso Robles. For more information and for tickets, visit sensoriopaso.com.