£150,000 crowd funding appeal announced at Royal Albert Hall for ‘Shrouds of the Somme project
At the recent Royal Albert Hall gig Steve Knightley took the opportunity to announce a £150,000 crowdfunding appeal to bring an extensive Shrouds of the Somme art installation to the capital.
Last year Somerset artist Rob Heard painstakingly hand stitched calico shrouds onto 19240 12 inch figures representing every Allied soldier who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme – making a powerful artwork that was seen in Exeter and Bristol. Knightley was closely involved in the unique 19240 project, serving on the committee.
Now Heard has embarked on making more than 70,000 shrouds to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1 in 2018 – commemorating every soldier who died at The Somme with no known grave. It is hoped to display the new work in London for Armistice Day (November 11) next year. See www.shroudsofthesomme.com for more information