lest we forget

During December I was lucky enough to visit two different installations using the poppies from the Tower of London Installation in 2014

The first was in Liverpool
the blurb from the 14-18 now reads-
Weeping Window is a cascade comprising several thousand handmade ceramic poppies, it was originally seen pouring from a high window to the ground below at the Tower of London as part of the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.

St George’s Hall sits proudly within Liverpool’s cultural quarter and its UNESCO World Heritage site. The Grade I listed building was built in 1854 and is regarded today as one of the finest examples of neo classical architecture in the world.

During World War One, St George’s Hall became the rallying point for the famous Liverpool PALS, when speakers including Lord Derby and Lord Kitchener appealed for 100,000 men to form a new army. Men from all over the region who enlisted in Lord Derby’s PALS Battalions travelled to St George’s Hall to sign their attestment papers.

 It was pouring with rain the day we visited. You can see the rain on my camera lens, although I kept wiping it! 

I found it quite moving.

 The next was visited in the days between Christmas and New Year

A very nice sunny day at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Blurb from 14-18 now reads-

Wave, a sweeping arch of bright red poppy heads suspended on towering stalks rises up from YSP’s historic Lower Lake, reaching over the Park’s historic Cascade Bridge. Nearby surroundings include sculptures by world-class artists Anthony Caro, Antony Gormley and Julian Opie, alongside heritage features such as the Bretton Estate’s grand mansion house.

YSP offers a completely different setting for Wave, extending the iconic artwork’s life and impact. Surrounded by 500 acres of stunning countryside and woodland, the calmness and nature of the Park offers visitors an ideal space for contemplation and reflection.

I'm going to be honest and say I was a little disappointed with this one. The postcard and leaflet photographs are taken from a boat in the river where you get a great view of the poppies.

You can get up close to the poppies on the bridge across the river,

Because of the time of day I couldn't get a good photo of them from the riverside and they lost their impact I thought.

Still I am sure if you went in the morning and on a quiet day it would be a different story.

The installations are travelling the country this year, do try and catch them, they are stunning in real life.

I did not get to see them in London unfortunately but a very dear friend bought a poppy for me for my birthday, I just need to work out how to display it.