888,246 ceramic poppies infill the tower of london for remembrance day

888,246 ceramic poppies infill the tower of london for remembrance day
image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces

remembrance day, taking place each year on november 11th, marks the end of the first world war and honors the commonwealth armed forces who have died in the line of duty. as symbol of this sacrifice and service, artist paul cummins and stage designer tom piper have infilled the famous dry moat at the tower of london with 888,246 ceramic poppies, spilling out from a window onto the vast grassy expanse that divides the historic site from the city center. since august, ‘blood swept lands and seas of red‘ has continued to progressively spread throughout the space, with individually red-hued flowers installed in the landscape by a team of over 8,000 volunteers, each one representing a british military fatality during the war. on remembrance day tomorrow, the last poppy will be planted, reflecting the magnitude of the event with the installation’s powerful and visceral visual commemorative quality.

888,246 ceramic poppies spill out from a window onto the vast grassy expanse
image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces

the evolving installation has seen the transformation of the tower of london’s moat
image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces

individually crafted poppies have been placed in the landscape
image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces

the ceramic installation has grown massively throughout the past months
image © designboom

poppies sweet throughout the vast expanse
image © designboom

the installation weaves through the grounds at the tower of london
image © designboom

hundreds of thousands of flowers have been placed by volunteers
image © designboom

the sweeping sea of red poppies
image © designboom

image © richard lea-hair and historic royal palaces

image © historic royal palaces

image © historic royal palaces

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