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Stoke's Middleport Pottery to host iconic poppies as part of 14-18 NOW tour

Stoke-on-Trent City Council sent this bulletin at 18-10-2017 06:00 AM BST

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STOKE’S MIDDLEPORT POTTERY TO HOST ICONIC POPPIES

AS PART OF 14-18 NOW TOUR

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Middleport Pottery are pleased to announce that they will present Poppies: Weeping Window by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper from 2 August – 16 September 2018. The poppies come to Stoke-on-Trent as part of the final year of 14-18 NOW’s UK-wide tour of the iconic poppies sculptures.

The presentations by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, give people across the UK the chance to experience the impact of the ceramic poppy sculptures in a range of places of particular First World War resonance. The tour has been made possible by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Backstage Trust, the Clore Duffield Foundation and the National Lottery.

Stoke-on-Trent is officially recognised as the World Capital of Ceramics, and Middleport Pottery has been operating since 1889. During the First World War demand for the ceramics goods made in the area greatly increased. These included tableware for hospitals, homes and the military; propaganda-ware, including small ceramic tanks and battleships; plates with patriotic designs or messages on them; and ceramics to mark both the early stages of the war and the Armistice at the end.

The war also saw women taking on bigger roles in the pottery industry; with the men volunteering or being called-up, they came to the fore as decorators and designers, taking key roles from men and being recognised after the war as leading lights.

Middleport Pottery Director John Lowther said: "We are delighted that Middleport Pottery of UKHBPT will be one of the last tour venues before Poppies: Weeping Window moves to its final presentation at the Imperial War Museum. It's an honour to have been chosen to host this poignant sculpture that has many connections to Stoke-on-Trent's social and industrial history. Middleport Pottery's Grade II* listed Bottle Oven, one of only 47 left in the Potteries, will provide a wonderful setting for visitors to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice."

Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window are from the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red – poppies and original concept by artist Paul Cummins and installation designed by Tom Piper – by Paul Cummins Ceramics Limited in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces. The installation was originally at HM Tower of London from August to November 2014 where 888,246 poppies were displayed, one for every British or Colonial life lost at the Front during the First World War.

Stoke-on-Trent was integral to the original installation, as a base for the creation of just under half of the ceramic poppies. Stoke-on-Trent provided the clay that the poppies were created from.

Councillor Anthony Munday, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for greener city, development and leisure, said: “We’re thrilled that this iconic sculpture – which has poignantly captured the imagination of millions of people across the globe – is coming to the city where much of the clay needed for the poppies was produced. It is recognition of Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramics excellence and is the chance for many thousands more people to visit and be moved by this stunning sculpture in the centenary year of the Armistice of one of the world’s greatest conflicts.”

Councillor Abi Brown, Stoke-on-Trent City Council deputy leader and chair of the city’s UK City of Culture 2021 bid, said: “The Weeping Window poppy sculpture represents one of the most significant cultural events in the UK in recent years and we’re delighted that Stoke-on-Trent is being named as one of the final destinations in its UK tour, at a time when we are bidding to be the UK City of Culture in 2021.

“Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramics expertise is world-renowned and the industry is experiencing a resurgence, with global ceramics brands, household names and new companies investing here. We are a city that makes things, produces beauty from our earth. The poppies are a moving example of exquisite craftsmanship, and the sculpture will have a very fitting home in our city.”

Together, the Wave and Weeping Window sculptures are made of over 11,000 poppies. At the end of the tour they will become part of the permanent collections at the Imperial War Museums.

DAF Trucks are the transport sponsor for the UK presentations, and 14-18 NOW are delighted to partner with DAF on making this historic project a reality. The learning and engagement programme for the poppies tour is supported by the Foyle Foundation.

The Weeping Window sculpture is from the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ – poppies and original concept by artist Paul Cummins and installation designed by Tom Piper – by Paul Cummins Ceramics Limited in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces, originally at HM Tower of London 2014.