We admire the power of art not only to capture and represent a moment in time through the eyes of the person witnessing (as it does through photography and photo-realistic representations through painting and drawing); but also for its ability seek inspiration, to reference, and in particular cases, to remember events which have marked us.
Paul Cummings did an astonishing job to honour and physically account for each of the 888,246 individuals part of the Commonwealth who lost their lives in World War I. Each poppy included in this impressive installation positioned within the moat of the Tower of London, was handmade over a period of 3 days by no less than 12 artists. The team chose to adopt ceramic methods which would have been used during World War I.
Cummings, an increasingly well recognized ceramic artist from Britain conceptualized the design which was inspired by a line from the will of Derbyshire man who died in Flanders Fields. The line read: “The Blood Swept lands and seas of red, where angels fear to tread”.
Alongside Cummings, was theatre production designer Tom Piper who assisted with the design implementation and layout on the site.
The ceramic poppies have been laid with the help of 11,000 volunteers since August 2014. Today, Remembrance Day, marked the day the final ceramic poppy was ceremoniously laid. November 11th, being the date the Armistice was reached and World War I ended.
The sheer scale of the installation is awe-inspiring, surrounding nearly entirely the Tower of London. Each ceramic poppy included in the installation were also available for purchase today for approximately $45 Cdn (£25 ) proceeds were to be divided amongst 6 selected veterans charities.
Unfortunately, by the time we looked into it they were sold out. However we do encourage you to visit the sites of the selected 6 where you can make your own donation or find out more about these worthy organizations, as well as some of our local Canadian veteran sociaties.
We cannot thank these brave men and women enough for their service and would like to show our continued support to those who dedicate their lives day to day in the protection of our liberties. Our day to day, our hobbies, the frivolousness of this blog, and so much more; are trivial in comparison to the daily sacrifices they and their families undergo. We are forever in the debt of these brave men and women who lost their lives in both World Wars and those who continue today to protect our civil liberties today in the front lines. Which is why it remains important to remember them and keep them in our thoughts today. Lest we forget.
What a beautiful ode Cummings has made to them.