Yorkshire Sculpture Park TEACHER RESOURCE PACK Poppies: Wave 5 SEPTEMBER 2015–10 JANUARY 2016 ABOUT WAVE AND WEEPING WINDOW 14-18 NOW and Yorkshire Sculpture Park present Wave as part of a UK-wide tour of the iconic poppy sculptures. Wave is a sweeping arch of bright red poppy heads suspended on towering stalks; Weeping Window (to be shown at Woodhorn Museum, Northumberland / 12.09.15–1.11.15 and St George’s Hall, Liverpool / November 2015–January 2016) is a cascade comprising several thousand handmade ceramic poppies seen pouring from a high window to the ground below. These two sculptures, by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper, marking the centenary of the outbreak of war, are now brought to audiences at venues across the country as part of the 14-18 NOW programme. As with all of 14-18 NOW’s 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 breathtaking 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 by a volunteer 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 original installation was conceived of as transitory, the sea of poppies growing in size until the final one was planted on 11 November 2014. On completion, however, it was agreed that the works of art at the heart of this broader act of memorial should be preserved for the nation. 14-18 NOW is grateful to the Backstage Trust and Clore Duffield Foundation for their support in securing these sculptures for posterity. For the remainder of the 14-18 NOW programme, Wave and Weeping Window will be on view at selected locations around the United Kingdom. They will then be gifted to the Imperial War Museums and displayed during the autumn of 2018 at IWM North and IWM London. Wave is from the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red. Poppies and original concept: Paul Cummins. Installation design: Tom Piper. By Paul Cummins Ceramics Limited in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces at HM Tower of London 2014. WAVE AT YSP The siting of the Wave at YSP has responded to the natural environment of the Lower Lake, with the Poppies seeming to move amongst the grasses, rising from the water. The reflections, changing light and natural surroundings all affect how we perceive the artwork. Wave will change with the seasons, the weather, the light and the cycles of nature from which it emerges. It is difficult to experience the work without noticing the sound, movements and colours of nature and in a state of quiet, peaceful contemplation. Although one artwork, Wave comprises thousands of separate ‘units’ – the poppy; each unique, made by human hands, but also uniform, playing its part in the creation of one ‘form’ – the wave. The red poppies seem to jostle together, rising in a dynamic wave. Wave is in suspended animation; the power of a wave captured in a moment. A parallel can be drawn with the poppies in Wave and the individual soldier, each part of a greater whole. We are reminded of each individual soldier; of many within his battalion, reaching ‘over the top’ and into battle. From the different viewpoints, Wave seems at times to be rising into a disappearing crest and, at others, falling and spilling into the Lower Lake. Framed by the beautiful setting of the water, the bull rushes and reeds, the magnificent vista and historical architecture, it is impossible not to see the poppies in relation to nature; of life and renewal. VISITING WAVE Wave is presented in YSP’s historic Lower Lake, a 1km walk from YSP Centre and car park or 0.7km from YSP Learning. Wave can be accessed easily from YSP Learning with clear signage to Cascade Bridge and Lower Lake. Viewing numbers may be restricted at peak times. It is therefore essential that all self-directed visits are booked in advance. We recommend a preliminary visit by group leaders, particularly if bringing a group to YSP for the first time. Please note, a £15 group booking fee is charged per 60 pupils/students for self-directed visits. This fee includes parking for one coach or minibus(s) and the use of a lunchroom during term time depending on availability. A £10 group booking fee is charged to groups of 13 pupils/students or less and the booking fee is waived for SEN groups. Groups wanting to come on a self-directed visit will need to book online at: ysp.co.uk/selfdirectedvisits. Please contact YSP Learning Administrator, Richard Walton on +44 (0)1924 832528 or email: [email protected] if you have any questions or require support in making your booking. Suggestions for pre-visit, on-site and extended activities back at school are provided below. A Family Activities leaflet also accompanies Wave and includes practical activity ideas which teachers may find useful. This can be downloaded from ysp.co.uk/families or picked up at YSP Centre Information Desk. SCHOOL WORKSHOP AND TOURS OFFER AT YSP YSP offers a programme of artist-led Workshops and Tours for school groups, which can be designed to incorporate a visit to Wave. Further information on our Workshops and Tours programme can be found at ysp.co.uk/workshopsandtours Wave Enhanced Tour Between October and January 2016, we will also be offering an Enhanced Tour specifically linked to Wave. Our Enhanced Tours last up to two hours and explore the open-air sculptures through practical, making activities, including drawing and clay work. Our Wave Enhanced Tour is a great opportunity for children to explore the ideas and processes involved in the production of Wave and to create their own artworks in response. Artist-led Workshop: Poppies Memento Artist and designer Harriet Lawton is offering a limited number of full-day workshops for schools which will explore Wave through drawing and making in the landscape, followed by sculpture making in our YSP Learning studio space. Pupils will create their own mixed-media poppy head using wire, paper, collage and text which will become part of an installation celebrating the poppy’s life cycle and our collective sense of memento. The workshop can be adapted to be appropriate for KS1, KS2 or KS3 groups with a maximum of 30 pupils per group. Available on the following dates: Tuesdays 10.11.15, 17.11.15, 24.11.15 10.00–14.00 (times can be flexible) £185 + VAT Further information and a Session Plan can be downloaded from ysp.co.uk/workshopsandtours For enquiries about this workshop offer, please contact Kathryn Welford, Formal Learning Coodinator, on +44 (0)1924 832540 or email: [email protected]. To make a booking please contact Richard Walton, Learning Administrator, on + 44 (0)1924 832528 or email [email protected]. This resource is intended to support teachers in planning their self-directed visits. BEFORE YOUR VISIT • Have your pupils heard of, or seen, the installation of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red? Show pupils pictures from the installation at the Tower of London. How do they think it has been made? How does it make them feel? Ask them what it could be about, before introducing the concept of the First World War • Encourage pupils to research the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London • Introduce the idea of artists creating art for a particular place and the fact that an artwork changes depending on where it is sited Web links relating Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at The Tower of London youtube.com/watch?v=58aX_EBwzr4 youtube.com/watch?VZPoyTiJJc hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/poppies hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/stories/firstworldwar 1418NOW.org.uk/poppies mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inside-ceramic-poppy-factory-workers-4034309 Weblinks relating to the First World War Imperial War Museum – iwm.org.uk/history/the-pals-battalions-of-the-first-world-war National Coal Mining Museum – ncm.org.uk Experience Barnsley – experience-barnsley.com/archives-and-discovery-centre British Legion – britishlegion.org.uk BBC – bbc.co.uk/ww1 Resources for Primary Schools: bbc.co.uk/newsround/28585905 Resources for Secondary Schools: bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25826265 DURING YOUR VISIT At YSP we believe that children engage best with an artwork when they are given the tools to explore for themselves, to ask questions, to recognise their own responses and find their own meanings. Exploration may begin with what they can see, touch, hear and experience. What is the installation Wave made up of? What colours, shapes and forms can you see? What materials do you think have been used? How do you think it has been made? How would you describe the poppy stems? How would you describe the individual poppies? Do all the poppies look the same? How would you describe the shape of Wave? Try and look at, or approach, Wave from different positions, i.e. from the bridge, from the banks of Lower Lake. Does Wave seem to be rising from or spilling into the lake? Describe the movement in Wave. What else do we experience? What are the sounds, the sensations? What else is happening around Wave? Draw attention to the reflections, the wildlife, the views and the environment which form part of Wave.