Life-size silhouetted figures, representing the 255 military personnel and three civilians who lost their lives in the Falklands War, will shortly be installed on the Parade Ground at Fort Nelson.
The art installation, Standing with Giants, will be open to visitors from 21st April to 9th July – admission is free.
Created to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict in 2022, this is the first time that Standing with Giants will be seen in the south. It has previously been displayed at Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire, and at the Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln.
The art installation is particularly pertinent to the Portsmouth area, which played such a significant role in the Falklands conflict and will offer people the opportunity to pay their respects to those who were lost and consider the impact of the war on the lives of all the service personnel and civilians caught up in it.
Standing With Giants is a community project, set up by Oxfordshire artist, Dan Barton, and a group of local volunteers. They create large-scale art installations using recycled building materials.
To complement the art installation Fort Nelson is also staging an exhibition – Falklands 40: What Portsmouth Saw – which tells some of the personal stories of homecomings to Portsmouth after the conflict.
The exhibition features images from The News, footage from BBC South and interviews with local veterans, as well as a small display of guns which were used in the conflict.
Public Engagement Manager, Lizzie Puddick, said: “We are honoured to host this art installation and think it will be a striking reminder of how many lives were lost in the Falklands conflict.
“The Falklands affected a lot of our local community in Portsmouth and Hampshire, so Fort Nelson seems a fitting place for Standing With Giants to be on display.
“Admission is free, so please do come and visit and pay your respects to those we lost during the conflict whilst serving their country.”
Dan Barton, Creator of Standing with Giants said: “We have been overwhelmed by the amazing reactions from veterans and families of the fallen who have visited our installations. The installations seem to connect with people and evoke emotion.
“Our ethos is to value life, to understand and appreciate why we have our freedom, and to remember and pay tribute to those who have fallen so we can live the lives we have today – Standing With Giants is a great way of using art to do this.”
Portsmouth Veteran, John Erskine, who served on HMS Hydra during the Falklands, said: “It’s great that Standing with Giants is coming to Fort Nelson. Portsmouth has such strong connections with the Falkland Islands, so it seems a perfect place for the installation.
“It will be very emotional to see the installation, the veterans can’t wait to see it on show at the fort.”
Admission to the art installation is free and included with admission to the museum. Visitors are encouraged to pre-book their free tickets to guarantee entry as the site has limited capacity – www.royalrarmouries.org.
Fort Nelson is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm during term time and daily during school and bank holidays. Admission is free.
Fort Nelson – Cathy Brooks, Communications Officer at cathy.brooks@armouries.org.uk – 01329 848 516
Visit Fort Nelson’s website – https://royalarmouries.org/venue/fort-nelson
Connect with Fort Nelson’s social media platforms:
Standing With Giants – Dan Barton at info@standingwithgiants.co.uk or 07919182007
Website: standingwithgiants.co.uk
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