Photo of cermaic poppies cascading out the window of a stone building

Weeping Window by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper.

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MPs to examine effectiveness of arts activities in First World War commemorations

A DCMS inquiry will assess whether arts and education initiatives were more successful than traditional approaches in connecting with a younger generation.

Christy Romer
3 min read

MPs have announced plans to evaluate the use of arts activities to commemorate the First World War during its 100-year anniversary.

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee will meet later this year to assess whether arts and education initiatives – such as a colourised documentary on trench warfare by Director Peter Jackson – were more effective in connecting with younger people than “more traditional methods”.

It will look at how commemoration activities were co-ordinated across Government and with external bodies; how contemporary culture can be linked to heritage and memorials; and the level to which the community became involved in projects.

The inquiry follows studies by the DCMS committee into live music and the social impact of participating in arts and sport.

Activities

The five-year 14-18 NOW programme, set up to coordinate arts activity across the centenary, included projects in 220 locations across the UK, according to a recent study. Its initiatives – which included commissions of artistic work by Rachel Whiteread and Yinka Shonibare – reached 35 million people in locations from the Outer Hebrides to Cornwall, and were mostly accessible for free.

More than 420 artists from 40 countries participated in creating the work, which was delivered with the support of 600 community, arts and heritage partners. The programme included events to mark the start of the war in 2014, as well as key moments such as the first day of the Battle of the Somme and Armistice Day.

The committee is seeking written submissions on the following issues:

  • How arts programmes were leveraged to engage new audiences who may not otherwise have been aware of, or engaged in, commemorations
  • Whether using the arts was more effective than traditional approaches
  • To what extent the commemorations reached school children and young people and connected them to the legacy of the First World War
  • Whether the commemorations inspired new community and volunteer involvement and engagement with the war’s legacy
  • Whether the distribution of events across the UK was effective, with all regions and nations fully able to participate.

In addition, the MPs will aim to assess whether the £50m allocated to the programme was spent effectively; better understand public participation and volunteer involvement in local initiatives; and distil the general lessons that can be learned about using the arts for commemoration.

“The approach to these commemorations was unique – whether the display of thousands of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, or Danny Boyle’s Pages of the Sea with images of soldiers who never returned being washed away on beaches. Seeing the face of poet Wilfred Owen being slowly erased by the tide at Folkstone is something that I’ll never forget,” commented Chair of the DCMS Committee, Damian Collins MP. “The film They Shall Not Grow Old by Peter Jackson brought the trenches to life for millions in cinemas and schools.

“The DCMS Committee wants to use this opportunity to evaluate how successful it has been to use arts and community projects over more traditional ways of commemorating significant national anniversaries, and what lessons we can draw from that.”

The inquiry will be accepting evidence from the public, organisations and others with relevant expertise until 15 March.