This week marks the 100th anniversary since the start of the battle of the Somme. During my watching of this evenings BBC The One Show there was a short piece about an artist called Nic Joly who has been making tiny, peedie soldiers standing at arms with a poppy.
These miniature sculptures are part of a campaign to highlight World War monuments in Britain. There are 141 sculptures (141 days is how long the battle of the Somme lasted) which are going to be placed on monuments across the UK in the hope of catching the publics eye to the war memorials, and get them interested in the memorials again.
This is something which became of interest to me during my dissertation writing - how memorials in any shape or form, become part of the everyday backdrop to life and although existing, the significance and importance of why they were erected in the first instance is forgotten about. The passing of time erodes the long term purpose of a memorial - to remember those no longer here and in the instance of war memorials, to honour those who fought for our freedom.
With this temporary installation the purpose is clear - its not to alter the memorial in any way, its simply to get the focus back on the purpose of why the memorial is there.
The locations of these miniature sculptures is not disclosed, so could even possibly have reached Orkney.
Further information-
http://neverforgotten.nicjoly.co.uk/141-days-the-somme/
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