ABSTRACT
Introduction In 2014, large crowds of visitors were attracted to an art installation in the moat of the Tower of London, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red , which commemorated the centenary of the outbreak of World War One. It comprised 888,246 ceramic poppies – one for each British or Imperial military fatality during the Great War. The sea of poppies was intended to be a place for refl ection with respect to the lives that were lost. Part of the installation subsequently travelled around Britain in a roadshow as a prelude to being placed on permanent display at the Imperial War Museums in London and Manchester in 2018. The then British Prime Minister David Cameron explained the rationale for this decision (14-18 NOW, 2014):
The whole country has been struck by the power of this work. Its scale and impact is breath-taking, and it has captured the public’s imagination in a way that few things have done before. Although millions have made the journey to the Tower, many more have wanted to do so but have not been able to get there. The whole country suffered terribly from the loss of loved ones a hundred years ago so it is only right that everyone should have the opportunity to see this moving tribute closer to home.
