Echoes Across the Century - new exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London

A new exhibition at London's Guildhall Art Gallery commemorates the centenary of World War I through personal stories and pieces of artwork.

Created by professional artist and set designer Jane Churchill, Echoes Across the Century 'sensitively brings to life' the human impact of the First World War through personal stories and pieces of artwork.

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Jane has created an immersive ‘behind the scenes’ experience which provides a unique glimpse into what was a very difficult and harsh reality for many. Interwoven throughout the exhibition is the artwork of over 200 students aged between six and seventeen.

Jane's set transports visitors to a First World War trench, whilst the walk-through exhibition explores the stories of soldiers, ordinary people supporting the war effort ‘behind the scenes’ and the grief-stricken families, friends and lovers that were left behind.

Churchill was inspired by the touching story of her great great uncle, Second Lieutenant William Goss Hicks, and the fiancée he left behind in Kent after his death in France nearly 100 years ago on 3 July 1917.

The exhibition features over 600 objects through which real and imagined tales are told through heritage artefacts and reactive ‘response’ artworks.

Jane said of the exhibition: 'This has been a very personal experience for me as I have always had a connection to WW1 and my inspiration for the project came from the terribly sad story of my own great great uncle and the affect his death had on those he left behind. 

'Working with such wonderful and talented students has been deeply rewarding as they all embraced the project and understood how art could be used to express both history and emotion. They developed independent thinking and confidence as they worked with me to explore different skills and techniques to bring these stories to life.'
 
The project benefited from a grant of £99,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and is the gallery’s first exhibition to operate as a large-scale installation. 

For more information, visit the exhibition website.