Work on Coventry’s monumental Blitz installation begins today
Volunteers are invited to join free workshops this week to help build a monumental cardboard structure of the Cathedral Ruins
Work on the a Blitz installation begins today in Coventry to mark the 85th anniversary this Friday.
Volunteers are invited to join free workshops this week to help build a monumental cardboard structure of the Cathedral Ruins which will rise 20 metres high and weigh over a ton.
Creator of the installation, internationally acclaimed artist Olivier Grossetête, is world-renowned for creating similar monumental constructions, and this amazing temporary landmark will rise as a symbol of remembrance, resilience, and the extraordinary strength found in unity.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Events said: “This incredible structure will act as an amazing, iconic centrepiece to mark the 85th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz. What’s particularly special and important in this project, is the engagement of local people and our communities in creating and building this iconic structure.
“Being part of such a wonderful project engenders a sense of community spirit and of resilience in pulling together and creating something special – attributes that Coventry people themselves showed during such a terrible period in the city's history.
“I’m sure people will want to get involved in creating this piece, whilst both remembering the past, but also ensure that people continue to work towards peace and reconciliation as we move forward.
“It’s sometimes said that a city is not measured by its structures, but by its people. That same spirit of resilience and civic pride remains in Coventry today and events which brings our diverse communities together in moments such this reflects that.”
Coventry City Council is inviting volunteers, families, schools, community groups, and individuals to take part in this unique project and there is opportunity for local people and visitors to the city, to add their finishing touches to the artwork when it is completed late afternoon on Saturday (15 November).
A number of free workshops, held in Drapers’ Hall in the city centre, will be running every day from Monday 10 to Saturday 15 November, to support the build of the structure.
During the weekend, those taking part will be invited back to construct and celebrate the structure created by the community.
The construction project is based over three distinct phases, pre-construction, the build itself and then the process of de-construction at the end.
The installation will be situated in Broadgate, in the centre of Coventry, and will be built through the day on Saturday 15 and de-constructed on Sunday 16 November. People will be able to visit over the weekend, talk to the artists and creators of the piece, and also meet some of the local people who have played a part in its construction.
The artwork will then remain in Broadgate until 3pm on the Sunday (16 November), for people to capture the moment and invite family and friends to be part of the weekend.
Those attending on the Sunday. are invited to assist in the deconstruction of the building reflecting the sudden and unexpected loss of the old Cathedral during the night of 14 November 1940.
Olivier Grossetête, Artist/Creator for the installation project from Constructions Participatives Monumentales en Carton, said: “The aim of projects such as this one in Coventry, is as much about sharing the experience of a collective construction as the final work of art. This is a collaborative project which touches both young and old and enables people to meet and build joyfully together.
“The Coventry build and accompanying de-construction links particularly to the connection with the Blitz anniversary. It is especially poignant as it enables us to recreate links with one another, sharing progress together and having a satisfaction of contributing to something both enjoyable and thought-provoking.”