Poppies for Remembrance promises a fresh outlook on a world war one exhibition, with Amgueddfa Cymru’s (National Museum Wales, NMW) website explaining that it will look into “how the poppy became a symbol for remembrance” and “explore the history of the poppy in all its diversity”.
I was excited by this summary, which suggested that it may be a step away from a classic remembrance exhibition and that it might encourage visitors to think about the systems and institutions that have shaped not just why but also how we undertake remembrance in the UK.
The key phrase from NMW’s summary is “all its diversity”. This small exhibition covers the natural history of the poppy, its struggle in biodiversity, contemporary stories from the Weeping Window poppy installation at Caernarfon Castle, the international spread of the poppy, the history of opiates, medicine during the first world war, the use of poppies in historical myth and legend, and the history of remembrance.
There is also a central space for contemplation and reflection. Each panel and section is well written – concise enough to hold my attention and with enough snippets of information to satisfy my need for facts, though at times I was left yearning for more.
The aim to show the poppy in all its diversity has resulted in a plethora of subjects mashed together with little cohesion. The balance between the amount of content for each subject doesn’t seem right – there is lots for natural history, but little for contemporary stories – and although the poppy is the common feature across the exhibition, it doesn’t feel connected.
If the exhibition were a blueprint for something larger, with each topic covered with more depth and space, it would have been excellent. None of the topics seem like they are the focus of the exhibition, yet the feeling of remembrance dominates the space. This is perhaps because of visitors’ learned behaviours of what poppies mean rather than down to the exhibition content and design.
On a positive note, I enjoyed the part that focused on the natural history of the poppy, specifically the focus on the flower’s struggles, including its loss from the natural landscape and how it finds new places to grow, such as roadside verges.
The “Poppy spot” takeaway sheets to help visitors identify different species at home are also a lovely touch. Often, the only poppies we come into contact with are plastic or crocheted, and it is easy to forget that these beautiful plants exist in the natural world and not simply as a symbol of our shared loss.
This section of the exhibition is a clever way to use the museum’s extensive taxidermy collection. By highlighting each animal or plant, the show’s curators have provided a way to explain how the poppy flower is used or linked to them, and its journey through the food chain.
At this point, the exhibition uses some brilliant floor-based cases, which display ground-dwelling or subterranean animals, such as grass snakes or moles. One visitor had not noticed these cases until they were walking on them, and was happily surprised by the discovery. These cases should go down really well with children and families.
Colonial history
There are flashes of excellence throughout the exhibition. In the section on opiates, the interpretation does not shy away from Britain’s role in the Chinese opium trade, stating that “the British forced the Chinese to accept their position and created the largest and most notorious drugs cartel in the world”.
The use of these strong phrases, particularly the words “forced” and “notorious”, emphasise the nature of British behaviour in China (despite it never becoming part of the British empire, except for Hong Kong). The use of this kind of language is a welcome change, compared with how the empire and colonialism are usually referred to in museums across the UK.
The show also highlights how the poppy has been used by other religions and societies throughout history. It focuses on the ancient Greeks’ use of it as the sacred symbol of their gods, including Hypnos and Demeter. The exhibition does not go further than the poppy in Greek mythology, but a quick online search reveals it is thought that the use of the flower was linked to its bright red colour, which, in Greco-Roman myths, symbolises resurrection. This left me with more questions than answers; after whetting my appetite, the interpretation ended too abruptly.
Location issues
Central to the exhibition is a large screen that plays readings of poems such as In Flanders Fields, by the poet John McCrae, in English and Welsh, as well as musical interludes. Surrounding this screen is an empty pool where visitors can sit and reflect. They can also record their thoughts on paper poppies and leave them to fill the pool. This, combined with the stark white design of the exhibition, sets a sombre tone.
But this mood contrasts with the exhibition’s location in the museum. Regular visitors will know the room – at the back of the museum’s natural history displays, where you have to walk past a basking shark, a leatherback turtle and a display on whales. Natural history exhibits are my favourite, because they are how I fell in love with museums as a child.
But if the true intention of this temporary exhibition is remembrance, this is not the right place for such a show. Numerous times during my visit the peacefulness was shattered by an excited family discovering the natural history exhibits close by. This is a bit of a problem because there are no doors to separate the spaces. It can mean that any emotional connection to the exhibition is lost.
Poppies for Remembrance has strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think the exhibition’s intention is to encourage people to undertake remembrance. I believe it is designed to help visitors form a greater understanding of the origins of the poppy by learning more about its role throughout history. Maybe this could have been achieved better by omitting remembrance altogether.
Charlotte Morgan is the museum manager of Cynon Valley Museum in Aberdare, Wales. Poppies for Remembrance is at the National Museum Cardiff until 3 March 2019
Project data
- Cost £22,000
- Main funders Welsh Government (Cymal) as part of their Cymru’n Cofio (Wales Remembers Programme); Heritage Lottery Fund; Armed Forces Community Covenant Fund; other donors
- Exhibition and graphic design Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd (National Museum Cardiff)
- Interpretation Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd (National Museum Cardiff)
- Models Specialists Models
