THERE'S a whole lot of love gone into creating the latest exhibit at Barnsley's Cooper Gallery.
A new ceramic installation of 453 loving cups, one for each of the armed service personnel killed in Afghanistan, is now available to view in the Sadler Room.
Each vessel, created by artist Kate Wilson, has been individually made from porcelain weighing 300 grams - the average weight of the human heart - and represents a life lost from the British armed forces since 2001, indicated only by the age they fell.
Every cup bears the inscription 'The Last Full Measure of Devotion' just inside the lip, with a tiny swatch of the service medal ribbon and the age of each of the fallen on a sprig left of front.
Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesman for place, said: "The installation serves not only to acknowledge but also to quantify the loss of British armed service men and women during the conflict in Afghanistan.
"In a year when we are commemorating the centenary of the First World War, it provides an opportunity to reflect on modern warfare and how soldiers' lives are commemorated now."
The cups will be on display until Thursday, September 25. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday.
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated August 29. **
