Poppy art tribute to children of war

IT WAS created over two painstaking months in a remote RAF base on the Shetland island of Unst. But this weekend, a remarkable art installation made with more than 7,000 poppy petals and measuring 30ft across, starts a long journey south to St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The work, entitled Remembering And Honouring Children Of War, was created by artist Ted Harrison and is believed to be the largest scale artwork ever created using remembrance poppies. It will be exhibited under the dome in the world famous London cathedral on Remembrance Day next month.

Viewed from the ground, it looks as if thousands of poppies have been randomly scattered around. But seen from above, it takes on the shape of three children’s faces, designed to highlight the plight of children caught up in war. It was assembled by Harrison in the former motor transport depot of RAF Saxa Vord, an air base – closed down in 2006 – on the tiny island of Unst. Harrison, who has a home on Unst, worked from a stepladder so he could see the work come to life.

“Using the poppies was an integral part of the idea right from the start,” he said. “The poppy is obviously the symbol of that particular day and of remembrance, but it has a wider, international resonance. I thought, why not use poppies to draw attention to the issue of children who have been killed in wars and are still being killed now around the world.”

Harrison a former Radio 4 presenter and author, first started working on the project in January this year, creating 28 separate panels on his computer which, pieced together, form the intricate work.

The poppies were supplied by the Royal British Legion, who gave Harrison 10,000 when he sent them a donation, and they are fixed to a 30ft wide piece of white MDF board by red pins.

“When I put the work down in St Paul’s itself, I’ll scatter more round to add to the impression that they’ve simply fallen from the ceiling,” Harrison said.

The installation has now been packed away in bubble wrap in 28 separate pieces and left Lerwick by ferry for the journey to Aberdeen last Thursday. It will be driven to Kent, before being assembled for 11 November under the famous dome of St Paul’s.

“One of the stipulations for the work was that it could be assembled in just a few hours,” said Harrison. “Although it will be delivered to St Paul’s a few days before the actual time, it will have to be laid out on the evening of 10 November. All the extra poppies will have to be put around and the whole thing fitted together. It will be quite hectic.”

The installation is part of the St Paul’s Cathedral Arts Project, an ongoing programme exploring the relationship between art and faith. Recent projects have included installations by Antony Gormley, Mark Alexander and Martin Firrell. Visitors will be able to view the work at ground level, as well as from the Whispering Gallery above, where the faces of the children will emerge clearly.

The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, treasurer of St Paul’s, said: “In Ted Harrison’s moving tribute, the past and present are brought together in a poignant way through remembrance poppies, scattered to shock us and warn us that history repeats itself.

“The human faces can only be fully seen from a sacred height. Placed in the cathedral this tribute reminds us of the tragedy of violent conflict. It is a wake up call to us all to protest against the wickedness of arming children to fight, and die, in our wars. It is also a timely reminder that human beings should remember better – not to be comforted but to be challenged.”

Although child soldiers are illegal under United Nations legislation, the organisation estimates that around 250,000 children around the world are currently active combatants – most of them forced or coerced into volunteering to fight for a cause they do not understand. Thousands are killed, wounded and traumatised each year.

“I wanted to capture that sense of the innocent and the sense of being betrayed,” said Harrison. “The young British army lad is trying to be a man, but he’s actually terrified. The African boy on the right is terrified and he’s not hiding it, while the girl behind, who represents a young girl who has been involved in the Vietnam conflict, has been hardened to the experience. She’s had her innocence taken away.”

Although the installation will be on show in St Paul’s for one day only, it is hoped it will be recreated in Scotland at a later date.

“I have been talking to Aberdeen Art Gallery,” said Harrison. “And we’re hopeful that it will be displayed there once it has left St Paul’s.”