100yrs ago on the 28th June 1914, the archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, leading to the outbreak of a war that destroyed the lives of millions.
On this day in 2014, about 200 people gathered together in Woolwich Artillery Square to watch a fiery performance that stood to tell the story of all those whose homes were destroyed and who ventured to new places to escape destruction.
Visually, the performance was all I had hoped for. The burning window frames from bombed houses gliding through the audience so close you could feel the intense heat on your skin. The set raising anchor and sailing around the people parted by its bough. The war mongerers breathing fire above your heads and banging metallic sheets that rang through your ears. The set design was stunning and the experience was an intense one, made greater by the musical accompaniment that failed only once on playback.
Granted that the symbolic nature of the story made it hard to follow but luckily my GCSE history knowledge paid off. From the celebrations of a Polish wedding, to the destruction of their homes, to the fighting men, the voyage across the see and the liberation that came with the escape to freedom.
I leave you with some images and videos of the performance, to mark the centenary of the assassination of WW1.
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| Polish Wedding Celebrations |
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| The War Begins |
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| Houses Burning to the Ground |
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| Escaping the Country |
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