Hull: City of Culture (2)

Warning: this post contains pictures of The Poppies. I say that because local social media, blogs, TV and publications are already saturated with images of the latest artwork in Queen Victoria Square and you may be fed up of them already. But no photographer or passer-by can resist this wonderfully photogenic display and I’m no exception.

This display really deserves a planned photoshoot, say early morning, equipped with tripod and before the crowds appear but people who know me will realise that the concept of early morning is a challenging one for me.  But I am trying to ensure I take my weighty Nikon with me whenever we get into Hull shopping this year and so on a shopping visit this week, with pleasant weather, I headed to see the Poppies for the first time.

I already knew this was going to be a prime candidate for some colour popping work, that the red would look dramatic against a black and white image, emphasising the appearance of blood pouring from a window of the Maritime Museum building.

I first saw this work, created by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, in their original placing at the Tower of London in 2014 before all 888,246 of the ceramic poppies were ‘planted’, each representing a fallen British or Colonial serviceman from World War One. Since then the ‘Weeping Window’segment has toured the UK and is now in Hull.

I may have to make the effort to return for different shots – understandably it is almost always surrounded by people and officials.  They are on display until mid-May.  Surely I can manage to get up early before then….. surely?