Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red
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''Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red'' was a public art installation created in the
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
of the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
, England, between July and November 2014. It commemorated the
centenary of the outbreak of World War I The centenary of the outbreak of World War I was commemorated in Europe in late July and early August 2014. A century earlier, the July Crisis, which occurred after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, had culminated in Austria-Hungary ...
and consisted of 888,246
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
red
poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant *The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album ''Radio Ethiopia'' *"Poppies", th ...
, each intended to represent one British or Colonial serviceman killed in the War. The ceramic artist was
Paul Cummins Paul Cummins MBE (born 26 September 1977) is an English artist from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, who produces landscape installations using ceramic flowers. Education / work Cummins worked as a maker of architectural models, and then studied ce ...
, with conceptual design by the stage designer
Tom Piper Thomas Stephen Towry Piper MBE (born 24 November 1964) is a British theatre designer who regularly collaborates with director Michael Boyd. He became an associate designer with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2004. Early life Tom Piper was born ...
."About the installation"
Tower of London website. Retrieved 17 October 2014
The work's title was taken from the first line of a poem by an unknown soldier in World War I.


Background

The work's title came from a poem discovered by Paul Cummins and was used by Tom Piper as the inspiration for his conceptual design. It was written by an unknown World War I soldier from
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, who joined up in the early days of the war and died at the Front during the First World War. The poem begins: "The blood swept lands and seas of red,/ Where angels dare to tread / ... ". The poem was contained in the soldier's unsigned
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, found by Cummins among old records in
Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
, Derbyshire."Poppies to fill Tower of London moat in first world war commemoration"
''The Guardian'', 7 May 2014.
The work was created by Paul Cummins Ceramics in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces to be displayed in the moat of the Tower of London, which was used in the early days of the war as a training ground for
City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
workers who had enlisted to fight – the " Stockbrokers' Battalion".


Form

The work consisted of a sea of
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
red
poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant *The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album ''Radio Ethiopia'' *"Poppies", th ...
, in a design which appeared to flow out of the Tower itself and ripple across the moat. There were a series of designed elements which added drama, height and movement to the installation: the "Weeping Window" flowing out of a window in Legge's Mount in the West Moat, (which became the iconic image), "Over the Top", a cascade of poppies down the wall on the wharf side of the moat and the "Wave", a free-standing twisted metal sculpture covered in poppies which curled over the main causeway into the Tower. The ceramic poppies were individually hand-made at Cummins' ceramics works in Derbyshire and at Johnson Tiles in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent."Campaign launched to bring the Tower of London poppies to Stoke-on-Trent"
''The Sentinel'', 12 December 2014.
The poppies were added to the installation progressively by volunteers. The 497,000 kg of the Etruria Marl-based Etruscan red
earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
used, as well as the majority of the manufacturing equipment and materials, were supplied by Potclays Limited in Stoke-on-Trent. There were eventually 888,246 of the flowers, representing one count of the number of British and Colonial military fatalities in World War I. The first poppy was "planted" on 17 July 2014, and the work was unveiled on 5 August (the day following the centenary of Britain's entry into the war). A team of about 17,500 volunteers put the poppies in place, overseen by Tom Piper and
Yeoman Warder The Yeomen Warders of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. ...
Jim Duncan, making this a true public artwork. The last one was planted on 11 November 2014 (
Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
), by a 13-year-old cadet, Harry Hayes, from the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) of
Reading Blue Coat School ('Truth Conquers All) , established = , closed = , type = Independent day schoolPublic school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label ...
. After that day a team of about 8,000 volunteers began removing the flowers. Members of the public had been able to pre-order the ceramic poppies for £25 each, with a share of the proceeds (estimated at more than £15 million) going to six service charities: COBSEO,
Combat Stress Combat stress reaction (CSR) is acute behavioral disorganization as a direct result of the trauma of war. Also known as "combat fatigue", "battle fatigue", or "battle neurosis", it has some overlap with the diagnosis of acute stress reaction used ...
, Coming Home,
Help for Heroes Help for Heroes (H4H) is a British charity which provides lifelong recovery support to British Armed Forces service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and to their families, originally only since 11 September 2001, th ...
, the
Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...
and
SSAFA SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyone ...
. At around sunset each day between 1 September and 10 November, the names of 180 World War I service personnel, nominated by members of the public to appear on a Roll of Honour, were read aloud by a Yeoman Warder or guest reader, followed by the ''
Last Post The "Last Post" is either an A or a B♭ bugle call, primarily within British infantry and Australian infantry regiments, or a D or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and R ...
'' bugle call.


Official visits and public reaction

The installation was visited by the Princes
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and
Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
and the
Duchess of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...
on the day of its opening, and by the
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
and the
Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...
on 16 October. The Queen later spoke about the memorial in her annual
Christmas Message The King's Christmas Message (also known as The Queen's Christmas Message in the reign of a female monarch, formally as His Majesty's Most Gracious Speech, and informally as the Royal Christmas Message) is a broadcast made by the sovereign of t ...
, broadcast on 25 December 2014. In all, an estimated 5 million people saw the installation, and the huge visitor demand saw the Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
and other politicians join calls to try and extend the period for which the installation remained at the Tower so that more visitors would be able to pay their respects. Historic Royal Palaces and the artist Paul Cummins resisted such calls, stating that the transience of the installation was a key part of the artistic concept,"Tower of London poppies to be removed as planned on 12 November"
''The Guardian'', 6 November 2014.
and that the poppies would be removed as planned and distributed to their purchasers. On 8 November it was announced that ''Wave'', which rose up over the Tower's entrance, would remain in place until the end of the month and that following this, the sculptures ''Wave'' and ''Weeping Window'' would be taken on a tour of the UK, organised by
14–18 NOW 14–18 NOW was the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary. Working with arts and heritage partners all across the UK, the programme commissioned new artworks from 420 contemporary artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and perfo ...
. This tour would last until the centenary of the armistice of World War I in November 2018 and visit 19 locations; after the tour the sculptures would enter the
Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
's collection."Poppy display segment at Tower of London given extension"
BBC News, 8 November 2012.
A campaign was launched in December 2014 to bring the sculptural elements to Stoke-on-Trent during the tour itinerary as the majority of materials and a large number of ceramic poppies were manufactured in the city. In April 2016, about halfway through the tour, ''Weeping Window'' was installed at
St Magnus Cathedral St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built ...
in
Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
,
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
, Britain's most northerly cathedral, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...
, the biggest naval engagement of the First World War. In recognition of the work, Paul Cummins and Tom Piper were both awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the
2015 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2015 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
."NY Honours for poppy duo, Joan Collins and John Hurt"
BBC News, 30 December 2014.


Critical reaction

Although the installation struck a chord with the public, it received negative reactions from some critics in the press.
A. A. Gill Adrian Anthony Gill (28 June 1954 – 10 December 2016) was a British journalist, critic, and author. Best known for his food and travel writing, he was also a television critic, was restaurant reviewer of ''The Sunday Times'', wrote for '' Van ...
of ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' called it "impressive" but "curiously bland". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
's'' art critic Jonathan Jones described it as having a "false nobility" and being a "prettified and toothless" memorial. Tom Piper said in response that "... it is a remarkably good thing that it is so accessible. We should not be trying to create something that is difficult to understand."


UK tour

In November 2014, it was announced that two sculptures from the installation, ''Wave'' and ''Weeping Window'', would tour venues around the UK until 2018. This was organised by
14-18 NOW ''14-18'' (also known as ''Over There, 1914-18'') is a 1963 French documentary film about World War I, directed by Jean Aurel. It was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic a ...
. The scheduled venues were as follows:


''Weeping Window''


''Wave''

After the end of the UK-wide 14-18 NOW tour ''Wave'' and ''Weeping Window'' will enter the Imperial War Museum's collection.


Armistice commemoration

A similar tribute also designed by Piper, ''
Beyond the Deepening Shadow ''Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers'' was an artistic installation at the Tower of London in November 2018, to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. Each evening in the week before Remembrance Day, 10,000 t ...
'', in which 10,000 flames were lit, again at the Tower of London, was installed to mark the centenary of the end of the war. It ran nightly, ending on
Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...
(11 November) 2018."Tower of London illuminated for Armistice tribute"
BBC News, 4 November 2018.


See also

*
Remembrance poppy A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, who exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to gi ...


References


External links


14-18 NOW Official website

Video: Making the Poppies (with introduction by Paul Cummins)
* {{Portal bar, London, Visual arts, World War I 2014 in art 2014 in London British contemporary works of art Centenary of the outbreak of World War I Installation art works Monuments and memorials in London Outdoor sculptures in London Papaver Tower of London World War I memorials in the United Kingdom