Memorial is a response to the ANZAC commemorations. Mark Curtis' glitter carpet depicts poppies, the flower that now carries with it the weight of grief and symbolizes the place, Ypres (Belgium), where so many Australians and New Zealanders now lie.
Usually, the opulence and refractory qualities of glitter makes us think of stardom and glamour, seemingly in direct opposition to the ethos of ANZAC day. However, in this instance, it seems to underscore the exuberance of those youths who were naively patriotic and desperate to stand in defense of their country. The glitter in Memorial scintillates with due glory in honour of those whose deaths kept them eternally young, a tribute to those who fell in the Great War that allowed us the freedom we enjoy today. Lest We Forget. *
