London display prompts questions on commemoration of Remembrance Day
As the month of November arrives, one might begin to see red poppies pinned to jackets, as Canadians begin the yearly ritual of commemorating the losses and sacrifices made in armed conflict. The Canadian population is not alone in this reflection. This year, Britain has created an art display to mark one hundred years since their first full day involvement in the First World War.
Beginning Aug. 5, 2014, London has been displaying Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which has been filling the grassy moat surrounding the Tower of London slowly, but steadily. The progressive addition of the red ceramic poppies setting was designed by Tom Piper, and the creation of the poppies themselves is credited to ceramic artist Paul Cummins. With the total number of poppies set to reach 888,246, the ceramic art pieces have begun to fill the moat, each hand-made and representing an individual British fatality during World War One.
Established in 1066, the Tower of London offers a haunting setting for the display, which has proven to be quite popular. Hundreds of people have begun to line up around the perimeter of the tower, even across Tower Bridge, in attempts to catch a glimpse of the installation. The crowds have grown so much that the city is announcing expectations of delays, and even closures, to the Tower Hill tube station nearby.
The overwhelming success of the installation has lead to fear of overcrowding. On Sunday, Nov. 2, the Historic Royal Places posted on Twitter to advise people to “postpone their visit to the Tower until after half-term if possible, or to visit earlier in the day, before 10am, or later in the day, after 6pm.”
However, amid the excitement of the installation lie some objections, making the art display a somewhat controversial topic. Jonathan Jones, from The Guardian, is particularly noted in his critique of the display as “fake, trite, and inward-looking.”
Jones writes that “it’s disturbing that, 100 years later on, we can only mark this terrible war as a nationalistic tragedy.” Jones goes on to describe how the display has become a spectacle that creates this image of the First World War being noble, when in reality “war is not noble.” He further writes that the moat should rather be “filled with barbed wire and bones,” should it want to meaningfully and accurately depict the realities of war.
Some have raised their voices against Jones, while others have agreed. One Londoner remarked that “the way the poppies spill from the battlements into the moat will remind many of William Blake’s poem London.” Either way, it seems that the discussions that have arisen on the topic mirror the reflections many will experience as Nov. 11 approaches. Whether one views this display in a positive or negative light, the installation itself brings about the question of how one should commemorate the deaths and sacrifices made in war, while also remembering the horrors of battle– and the importance of the consideration of whether they are ever truly separate.
The display will continue until Nov. 11, Armistice Day, when the final poppy will be placed amongst the rest.