Poppies: Weeping Window

The artist, Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper are now bringing their fantastic creations to audiences at venues across the country as part of the 14-18 NOW programme. ‘Weeping Window’ is coming to the Black Watch Castle and Museum.  It’s a cascade comprising several thousand handmade ceramic poppies seen pouring from a high window to the ground below.  The second structure that is on tour is ‘Wave.’  This is a sweeping arch of bright red poppy heads suspended on towering stalks and will be displayed at Lincoln Castle during 2016.  As with all 14-18 NOW projects, the presentation of these sculptures to new audiences across the United Kingdom aims to prompt a new, nationwide dialogue around the legacy of the First World War.

 The breath-taking sculptures were initially conceived as the key dramatic sculptural elements in the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London in the autumn of 2014. Over the course of their time at the Tower, the two sculptures were gradually surrounded by a vast field of ceramic poppies, each one planted in memory of the life of a British and Colonial soldier lost during the First World War. In their original setting they captured the public imagination and were visited by over five million people.

The Black Watch Museum is a focal point for remembrance and learning about the Great War and other conflicts. A stunning setting easily accessible from most of Scotland’s major population centres, Weeping Window will flow from a second floor Wavell Room in the turret onto the Castle grounds.

The flowing installation in Perth will be the touring artwork’s first appearance on Scotland’s mainland and The Black Watch Museum is delighted to have secured the honour.

This remarkable display will bring the reality of the First World War to life for many people in the most artistic and poignant way.