An Exhibition of Land Art and Installation by Stefan Laug
and Installation "The Gathering" by Lynn Brunet

University of Newcastle School of Fine Art Gallery, NSW, Australia
Wednesday 10th September - Sunday 28th September 2003

Silent Light is the title of a body of land art and performance work created since 1993 by the German artist Stefan Laug. The title of the work evolved during a stay at a sacred site in Nikko in Japan in 1993 where the artist meditated on the meaning of an ancient scroll. The wording on the scroll suggested that in the practice of deep meditation the individual can experience the sensation of being surrounded by light. The work draws on a range of spiritual practices such as geomancy, dowsing, divining, prayer and meditation as well as visionary experiences to determine the exact place and time of the performance. The installations are created with a series of little lights made of butter and are arranged in symbolic patterns. The artist tends the work in all-night vigils and poems, prayers and invocations are created aimed at transforming energies within both the natural and human environment. The artist has created performances in many countries including India, Korea, Japan, the Sinai Desert and in many European countries. In August he created his first installation in Australia at the Central Coast and intends to create two more performances during his stay, one in the Lake Mungo region and one at the Central Coast Campus.

The Gathering is an accompanying installation by Lynn Brunet, lecturer in Art History and Theory at the Central Coast Campus. The artists met at a land art symposium in Korea in early 2002 and have maintained an exchange of ideas since then. This exchange is based not only on artistic concerns but on theoretical discussions of the role of Freemasonry in contemporary culture, the subject of Ms Brunet's current research.

The project has been generously supported by a Research Visitor's Grant from the University of Newcastle's Research Branch, the School of Humanities at the Central Coast Campus and Dr Barry McKnight, the Director of the Campus.