Keep Our NHS Public (KONP ), a non-party-political organisation campaigning against the privatisation and underfunding of the NHS, sent a link from Birmingham Hippodrome to news of an outside event at Aston Park (next to Aston Hall).

Hippodrome Festivals presented In Memoriam in partnership with BrumYODO as part of A Matter of Life and Death Festival. BrumYODO are a collective aiming to help the people of Birmingham to have more open and honest conversations about Death and Dying. The installation coincides with Dying Matters Awareness Week, providing an opportunity for audiences to open up conversations around death, dying and bereavement.

In Memoriam – Without Walls video

Luke Jerram is an artist renowned worldwide for his large-scale public engagement artworks. His multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. His ceremonial art installation, In Memoriam, features 120 flags created from NHS bed sheets arranged in the form of a medical logo. It is a temporary memorial for the public to visit and remember all those who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beneath the flags host organisations programmed a series of events for the public to attend and be involved with.

In Memoriam also pays tribute to the NHS health and care workers who have been risking their lives during the pandemic.

It is designed to be an evocative symbol of local, national, and international solidarity and is a space for reflection, remembrance, and recognition. It has been created specifically to be presented in large open and windy spaces – Without Walls. With the expanse of space around them and the strong air flow, the artwork will put people’s minds at rest so that they can relax, safely breathe and contemplate the installation.

In Memoriam hopes to tour the UK and Europe and be presented in different ways, by a series of local host arts organisations. The artwork will be presented on the coast, in city parks and hilltops.

 

 

 

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