Tower of London poppies sculpture to be moved permanently to Imperial War Museum North

A permanent sculpture consisting of tens of thousands of ceramic poppies is set to be unveiled at Imperial War Museum North.

The poignant art work was first displayed at the Tower of London, and arrived in Greater Manchester in 2018 in the form of Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window, which saw thousands of the ceramic flowers cascading down the side of the museum.

And now, it has been confirmed that the same flowers will be returning in the form of a brand new art installation later this year. 

David Dixon / Geograph

The new work is expected to be completed on November 10th, just ahead of Remembrance Day, forming part of the museum’s Remembrance programming.

Details surrounding the new art installation have been kept tightly under wraps, though the IWM North said on its website: “Following the success of ‘Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window’, which toured to IWM London and IWM North during the final year of the First World War centenary, 2021 will see the iconic sculptures return to IWM North and permanently displayed for the first time.

“Conceived by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper as part of the Tower of London installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’, the tour of the poppies sculptures around the UK encouraged millions of people across the country to reflect on their own links to the First World War as a shared experience.”

David Dixon / Geograph

The original concept came from Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, who designed and constructed 888,246 ceramic poppies before being displayed at the London landmark back in 2014.

The poppies were then broken down into smaller installations, which all toured nineteen different locations across the UK.

The sculptures now form part of IWM’s collection and will be on permanent display at the museum across the water from Salford Quays.