Faces in the sand

Here’s something else the Brits did to commemorate the centenary of the World War I Armistice: they created huge portraits on beaches up and down England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland—portraits of people who’d left their home shores and never returned. It’s a brilliant concept, from Danny Boyle, the director/producer who brought Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting and Steve Jobs to the screen, and who orchestrated the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.

You don’t need me to point out the powerful symbolism of faces carved into sand below the highwater mark, which will be washed away by the incoming tide. Once there, there’s no holding back the inexorable waves; the human features are doomed.

This was a project that drew in all kinds of people, engaging them in art, history and the environment in an extraordinary way, and it gets added to my collection of art installations that help us come to terms with grief and pain that would otherwise crush us.

Drone footage of one of the beaches:

You can find the list of the portraits and their beaches here. I don’t think you have to have known who they specifically were to feel the loss. I certainly didn’t.