Pride of place for peace poppies

Clay poppies at Liverpool Meeting.

White poppies made at a workshop during last year’s Regional Gathering are now in place at Liverpool Meeting House.

The clay poppies were produced at a workshop run by artists Marie Louise Williams and Chloe Augusta Randall, both members of Wirral and Chester Area Meeting. In the year since the Regional Gathering Marie created a wire and wicker frame for the poppies, using basket weaving techniques.

Marie said: ‘When Chloe and I were invited to deliver a creative workshop at Regional Gathering 2015, the “weeping window” installation of red poppies had just been installed at St George’s Hall in Liverpool. We felt it would be adventurous to respond by creating some ceramic Peace Poppies, which could be displayed at the Meeting house to commemorate all those who had lost their lives in all wars and to offer hope.’

She explained the thinking behind the frame: ‘In designing the best way to display the poppies, the open, light, yet surprisingly strong structure of willow work seemed to reflect the qualities required for growing lasting peace. The particular form was initially inspired by the idea of two sheaves of corn leaning against each other but took on its own momentum as the sculpture progressed, separating and coming together and reaching up to spiral into the symbol of infinity at the top.’

Marie described the work she did on the ‘Gathering Peace’ installation as ‘almost like ministry’, adding that she hoped it would continue to draw people into the Meeting house and to encourage them to buy the white poppies on sale there.

The Quaker Centre Bookshop at Friends House, 9 November, had sold more than 6,000 white poppies.

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