Here dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose;
But young men think it is, and we were young.
A.E. Housman
The battlefields of the Western Front continue to haunt the imagination over a century after the First World War's end.
'Here Dead We Lie' is an immersive exhibition which brings together beautiful photography with an evocative, poetic soundscape. The photographs, taken by battlefield guide and amateur photographer, Mark Allen, explore the changing landscape of the Western Front across the seasons. The soundscape which accompanies these images encourages you to consider the many influences that have shaped our understanding of the battlefields and their significance to the contemporary world. The soundscape was designed by Ross Barnwell, Creative Director of the Centre for Experimental Military Archeology and the poetry was recorded by Jayne Thompson and the following members of Dover Youth Theatre under the direction of Marie Kelly:
Isabelle Davies-Wolfe, Archie Hodgson, Oliver Huxley, Rhianna Jacobs, Imogen Kelly-Thomas, Eleanor Lewis, Thomas McCaffrey, Flora McLellan, Alexandre Mostovoi, Amy Mulligan, Blane Porto-Ellacott, Océanne Ryckembeusch-Todd, Abigail Stanford, Tristan Savage, Millie Spence, and Abigail Taylor.
'Here Dead We Lie' is produced for Gateways by Professor Mark Connelly and Dr Helen Brooks of the University of Kent.
'Here Dead We Lie' opens at the Horsebridge Arts Centre, Whitstable, on 21 July and runs until 9 August 2021. Following this it will be hosted by Passchendaele Memorial Museum, near Ieper, Belgium. To find out more about hosting the exhibition at your venue, contact Gatewaysfww@kent.ac.uk.
You can download the full exhibition catalogue here.
You can listen to the accompanying soundscape which is made available on a CC by NC license. If you are interested in licensing the isolated version of the ambient warfare soundscape without the music or poetry please email info@cemahistory.org.
