POINT OF EVERYMAN’S LAND
Where is the front line?
Point Of Everyman’s Land, 2016
Braided rope, carbon steel, acrylic, mud, pebbles, sand and concrete
Unique work
H210 x W170 x D120cm
© Mark Humphrey
CLIENT
Canary Wharf Group
COLLABORATORS
Corps of Royal Engineers (British Army)
Ministry of Defence
Royal Engineers Museum
CHARITIES
The Royal British Legion
The Poppy Factory
LOCATION
Canary Wharf Estate, Canary Wharf, London, UK
“POINT OF EVERYMAN’S LAND PLAYS ON THE MILITARY TERM ‘NO MAN’S LAND’, TRANSFORMING IT INTO A SPACE FOR EVERYONE. COUNTLESS METRES OF RED AND BLACK ROPE INTERTWINE AND INTERSECT TO FORM POPPY STRUCTURES WITHIN A SERIES OF CLEAR ACRYLIC VITRINES. THE ROPES STRETCH FROM BORDER TO BORDER, ECHOING THE LINES OF ATTACK AND THE SHIFTING FRONT LINES OF CONFLICT.
EACH POPPY CONVERGES TOWARDS ITS BLACK CENTRE, BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCENTRATED AS THE POINT OF CONFLICT DRAWS CLOSER. THE VITRINES CONTAIN DIFFERENT GROUND MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT WARS: MUD RECALLS THE TRENCHES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR, PEBBLES THE BEACHES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, CONCRETE RUBBLE THE WARS IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, AND SAND THE CONFLICTS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. THE FINAL VITRINE CONTAINS NO GROUND MATERIAL – AS WE DON’T KNOW WHERE THE NEXT FRONT LINE WILL BE.
THE POPPY BECOMES A THREAD CONNECTING CONFLICTS ACROSS TIME AND GEOGRAPHY. FROM NO MAN’S LAND TO EVERYMAN’S LAND – AT SOME POINT, THE ROPE IS CUT.”
Mark Humphrey
