Last week, the world solemnly marked 100 years since the start of the first World War. Across the globe, countries and cities honored the occasion in their own way. In the city of Birmingham, England they did something very different.
They hired Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo to construct a minimal monument of 5,000 ice figures. The unique temporary monument commemorated the sacrifices and losses the city suffered during World War I. Residents, many of whom their families fought in the war, took turns placing the figures on the steps in Chamberlain Square.
Crowds gathered to view the small ice sculptures.
They solemnly looked on as they melted away in the sun.
People took their turns placing the ice sculptures on the stairs.
Some even decorated theirs, in honor of the relatives affected by the war.
Azevedo frequently uses melting ice figures in her work. Here are some pictures from an installation in Berlin from 2009 that highlighted climate change.
In 2012 she also did an installation in Belfast, Northern Ireland as a tribute to victims of the Titanic.
(H/T: Birmingham Mail)
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