As part of the Royal British Legion Every Man Remembered project, a 7m high Perspex® acrylic obelisk was used to compliment and surround the bronze sculpture; both strategically positioned by creator Mark Humphrey to produce the Centenary Soldier.
The soldier stands proud in a field of poppies, which flutter up and softly fall, paying tribute to each and every man for the sacrifices they made in World War I. In this way the soldier is “surrounded by his comrades and fellow men, creating a spiritual ambiance about it,” Mark explained.
Humphrey called upon trusted fabricators, Bay Plastics who manufactured the Perspex® acrylic obelisk and installed the masterpiece in Trafalgar Square, London, before embarking on a four year UK tour.
20mm thick Clear Perspex® cast acrylic sheet was chosen as the ideal material for the project due to its clarity, impact strength and excellent fabrication properties. At over 7m high, structural integrity was required to accommodate wind loadings and adverse weather conditions, so Bay Plastics teamed up with a local steel fabricator Motech. In order to enable transportation and portability, the obelisk was constructed in 3 sections using stainless steel to produce a skeleton framework onto which the panels fabricated from Perspex® acrylic were fixed.
Extensive research was then required to establish the mechanism by which the poppy petals would be circulated around the statue. After much experimentation, the correct combination of fans and sequencing was achieved resulting in the magnificent spectacle that is the Centenary Soldier.
In this centenary year The Royal British Legion and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission are working to keep alive the memory of those who fell in the First World War.
To take part in a truly historic and incredibly significant act of Remembrance, visit http://www.everymanremembered.org/ to make your donation.
For more information about approved fabricators Bay Plastics, visit www.bayplastics.co.uk