Cake Industries collaborated with Ian Firth on a scheme for a sculpture to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in Nottingham.
Entitled “Pool of Reflection”, the scheme consisted of a fountain that symbolises the darkness of despair growing into the hope of the new. The following is taken from the entry:
“This memorial is entered through a portal into an oppressive tunnel of darkness, before emerging into a reflective world that frames what matters – the people around us and across the other side, and the
world around us.
“Names of those from Nottingham that died in the First World War are inscribed on the inside walls of this trench. Names can be found using a free to download mobile app, which orients you and provides
more information on the names and achievements of the honoured.
“Visitors enter into a sinuous, confusing world, where the only view out is over the water at shoulder height. The path height varies to ensure all can perceive the effect of being at eye level with the shallow layer of
water and seeing the reflections of others above the parapet.
“There are opportunities to pause and reflect within the fountain, and places to sit and contemplate the cascading tide around the edge from outside the pool.
“The trench pattern is taken from the Battle of Loos, where the 1st Battalion, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment (the Sherwood Foresters) fought valiantly to gain a small advance in September 1915.”
