Lest We Forget...the medium is the message!

Remembrance Day on 11th November is coming up and I think that Great Britain has come up with a truly remarkable and authentically effective way to commemorate it!

I believe they have brought about a massive change in attitude of a global audienceby using modern photographic and video technology to communicate a message in a new and innovative way in the spirit of Marshall McLuhan.

This comes about through the medium of delivering a message incorporating a dramatic change in perspective thereby creating an authentic emotional connection which has a powerful impact on the audience. Many, if not all, visitors to the Tower (some two million at last count) will go away with a compelling and enduring appreciation of the dreadful cost of warfare in terms of human lives, never mind its sheer absurdity and insanity.......they will never forget!

I am not ashamed to admit that the videos and pics stunned me, and brought about a catch in my throat followed by a copious flow of tears, having a far more dramatic impact than the plaques on a stone memorial or the endless cemetery landscapes of thousands of white crosses!

The sheer vast scale of the Tower of London with what looks like its moat filled with blood took on a new and moving perspective when I read that it was filled with 888,246 porcelain, hand painted poppies to represent each of the British soldiers killed in the Great War!

At last I think we will begin to truly learn from the lessons of the past! An event like this imparts new meaning to the concept of commemoration as well as the ushering in of a new global consciousness. There is hope for us yet!

Watch these videos:

http://goo.gl/m63HKm

http://goo.gl/SqSk0l

Regards to all,

~Arthur