Tim Piper, who became a theatre set designer at Cambridge University, collaborated with ceramic artist Paul Cummins to produce the 2014 Tower of London phenomenon. But he was not the only one to create this work of art. Thousands of volunteers, from big royalty to small children, also participated in the installation by planting out a moat flowing with seas of poppies. Volunteers drawn from as far afield as possible have dedicated their hours, and factory workers from Midland potteries worked round the clock, to make magically sure the installation met its alarmingly fast approaching deadline. Cummins even accidentally sacrificed one of his own fingers in the machinery, but seemed to rate that bloodshed a mere drop in the ocean of his sanguine flood. He was mindful that those from around the world who thronged to witness his art’s fleeting moment contributed the essential component, that of their personal awakenings.