Welcome to the offical website for the Poppies of War,
the art of Stephen Mulqueen, Dunedin, New Zealand
Poppies of War presents a commemorative poppy crafted from the debris of war. I transform a brass cartridge shell into a personalised wearable object. The poppies have grown out of my travels, curiosity, workshop practice and several years of refining. As an artist working in the early 21st century, ideas about memory, and how we remember and commemorate are important to me. As we move towards the centenary of the Great War (1914/18 – 2014/18) Poppies of War offers a very real connection to the collective memory of the human carnage that scarred so much of the world during the 20th century. The brass cartridge poppy lies at the heart of current social debate, and offers a space for reflection on the causes and consequences of war as people all over the globe continue to experience it daily. The Irish historian R. F. Foster states, “We make history by remembering things”. I believe that we can also engage memory by making things which offer a very tangible link to our own relationships with the past, with each other, and with the possibilities for the future. Stephen Mulqueen |
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