Remembrance Day Manchester: How iconic poppy display is still making its mark at the Imperial War Museum

An iconic poppy sculpture at the Imperial War Museum North opened on November 10, 2021, returning to Manchester as part of a dramatic new artwork, titled Poppies. Poppies is made of thousands of handcrafted flowers and has been at its permanent home in the Imperial War Museum North’s Air Shard for a year.

The ceramic poppies were originally part of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation and the concept was conceived by ceramic artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper. Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window travelled to 19 UK locations between 2014 and 2018 as part of a national cultural programme to mark the First World War centenary.

There are over 10,000 poppies cascading down 30 metres of the inside of the building. A year on from installation at the Imperial War Museum North, Poppies is just one of many artworks created in response to war and conflict.

This year, the Imperial War Museum North is holding a two minute silence at 11am on Remembrance Sunday. Visitors will get the opportunity to hear musicians from the Royal Northern College of Music in the museum’s Main Exhibition Space. Performances will include The Last Post and a recital of Nimrod by Edward Elgar.

The Poppies exhibition in the museum’s Air Shard is on display from 10am to 5pm daily during the museum’s regular opening hours.