Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Sat 20 Jan – Sun 15 Apr
1st July 2016 marked 100 years since the Battle of the Somme, where 20,000 British soldiers died in a single day – the single worst military loss of life for Britain. To commemorate this, 1400 volunteers across the UK spent a day as soldiers in historically-accurate uniforms. They appeared at train stations, shopping centres and in tube stations. They sat on benches, leaned against railings, or stood around. There was no advance publicity. The public had no idea what was happening. The soldiers were silent, but for occasionally bursting into the song they sang when they marched to the trenches – We’re Here Because We’re Here. They handed out small cards with the name of the soldier they were representing, along with their rank, regiment and if known, the soldier’s age – each one had died that day. Onlookers were so touched and overcome by emotion after witnessing this and reading the cards; some hugged the volunteers or shook their hands. This living memorial, commissioned by the WWI Centenary Arts Commissions 14-18 NOW and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and the director of the National Theatre Rufus Norris, reached over 30 million across the UK. This exhibition in Aberystwyth will tell the story of the project, a moving commemoration honouring those who lost their lives on the battlefields.
Admission: free. Info: 01970 623232 / www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk (RLR)
