For Your Tomorrow (Stowe Gardens, National Trust)
October 26th, Stevenage
Open to the public from 1 October - 11 November 2024, the large-scale art installation consists of 1,475 silhouettes of Second World War military personnel. The exhibition is installed in Stowe's Grecian Valley.
I had booked to attend on the Saturday before the clocks went back, I was accompanied by my friend Kevan Smith. I had no idea what to expect as the ticketed time was 5:30 PM until 7:30, and it was due to be dark well before 6 PM. On arrival what first struck me was the size of the Stowe estate, and this needs a full day to explore, which I will do on another date. On arrival, the installation was almost immediately accessible from the car park. In the late afternoon light, the statues which are predominantly in the valley looks spectacular, however, they were also in the Woodland walk, which ran down the north side of the valley. At the head of the Grecian valley, was the temple of Concord. A very large Greek looking temple built by the previous owners. This is one of many such buildings and bridges across the estate. We went for a walk down through the woods right to the far end to the valley and then back up through the statues as it got darker and darker. What became apparent was a light installation with three main lights set in the woods on the edge of the north side of the valley which illuminated the valley and the Statuettes in the gloom. As the light faded, the temple of Apollo was illuminated with search lights above it, and as we approached, a pipe band were playing. It was all very well organized and very respectful of the memories of those who had fallen on D-Day. The evening finished roundabout, 7 o’clock with the last post being played from the steps of the temple of Concord.
I would highly recommend anybody to visit this installation before it gets moved towards the middle of November.
