For the past several months the Tower of London, part of the Historic Royal
Palaces, and its ambitious sculptural commission: Blood Swept Lands and Seas
of Red have been a central symbol of the UK's WWI Centenary observations.The display, which grew in size over time, marked each commonwealth casualty
of WWI - 888,246 in total - with a hand-made red ceramic poppy "planted" by
volunteers around the venue's exterior. Entertainment and event production
supplier White Light has been closely involved in the event, providing
lighting, sound, and video support services for the opening ceremony on
August 5th and closing ceremony on November 11th (Remembrance Day) as well
as providing lighting for the entire poppy display throughout its
three-month installation.
White Light Managing Director Bryan Raven commented on event's significance
saying, "The Tower Poppies have had such an amazing public response. The
display truly captured the world's imagination. We are immensely proud to
have been involved in such a beautiful and important project."
White Light worked with Lighting Designer Phil Supple for the opening
ceremony and three-month long lighting installation. Among many varied
works, Supple has gained recognition for his unique outdoor lighting designs
and has worked with White Light on previous projects such as Christmas at
Kew, The Electric Forest, and NVA's Speed of Light. From White Light,
Project Managers Richard Stirzaker and Dominic Yates oversaw technical
elements of the display's opening and closing events respectively, while
Event Services Supervisor Jamie Wells looked after the installed lighting
and sound elements and ensured the day to day success of these systems.
The White Light team spent an initial two days on site at Tower of London
installing lighting for the display's beginning sculptural segment and for
the Roll of Honour events taking place daily at sunset. The team returned
for two additional installations as the display grew around the Tower of
London exterior, eventually taking up most of the site's moat with some
special sections making up a wave - frozen in time - or spilling out through
wall openings. The size of the display, outdoor exposure, and public access
each presented challenges for the project. In total, White Light supplied
more than 30 custom-fitted lighting fixtures for the display with
water-tight fittings to protect against weather damage. White Light also
provided custom-made safety barriers to protect the lighting in high-traffic
public access areas. After installation and throughout the life of the
exhibit, White Light provided constant support with teams on call 24/7 to
handle any issues and keep the lighting running smoothly.
The installed lighting illuminated the poppies for additional viewing in
early morning hours and during the evening, adding another layer of
atmosphere to the emotional display. With an unprecedented 60,000 - 70,000
visitors each day and up to 4,000 each night, exhibit organisers at Historic
Royal Palaces decided in November to extend lighting of the display in order
to allow thousands more the opportunity to see the massive temporary
artwork. In the final days of the display, the Tower of London poppies were
lit from 4:30am to sunrise and from sunset to midnight each night. In total,
an estimated 4 million people visited Tower of London to see the poppies
before its closing.
The last poppy in the exhibit was placed in a special ceremony on November
11th - Armistice Day. The poignant ceremony was attended by exhibit
creators: artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper, military
leaders, special guests, and thousands of members of the public. Following
on from White Light's support of the opening ceremony and installation
support, the team once again provided production solutions for the closing
event. Speaking from site, Project Manager Dominic Yates called the event
"probably the most important event of my career".