It is sobering to be reminded so often this year that it is the centenary of the outbreak of World War I; in particular, this week's services of remembrance have taken on a special poignancy. The display of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, 888,246 of them sweeping across the moat to mark each life lost from these shores, has caught the public's imagination, even if some art critics have been scornful. But it is not difficult to see why the installation has made such an impact, emphasising the scale of the loss in such a dramatic and personal way.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of things we too easily forget amidst the noise of daily life, and the simple idea of a flood of red poppies has succeeded in creating a deeply emotional response. The transience of the display adds to the impact: slowly building up over the summer and autumn, it will now start to fade away till, like first-hand memories of the Great War, nothing remains.
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