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In Service 1918 - 2017

226 earthenware plates, under-glaze pigment, lead free transparent glaze

To mark the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele, artist James Bloomfield has been artist in residence at Salford Museum & Art Gallery and the Working Class Movement Library. The outcome of this 12 month research period is the creation of 226 commemorative ceramic plates. Individual plates reference every war since the end of World War I, when it was fought and the number of fatalities for that conflict. The plates will be placed into regular dinner service in the Gallery Cafe, presenting the findings of the research directly to visitors.

The plates will be presented for service on 31 July 2017 and later decommissioned on 10 November 2017 to coincide with the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele, which runs over these exact dates (3 months, 1 week and 3 days).

“Each plate marks a global conflict since the end of "The war to end all wars" of which there have been 226  and over 67million fatalities. I want this work to become part of the domestic environment and our consciousness; to remember those that have been involved in conflict or those who still are..."

The plates were created with help from over 75 volunteers during a week long mass participatory workshop at Salford Museum and Art Gallery cafe.

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Participatory workshop Images courtesy Richard Tymon

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