Five things to do in September
Renewal: Life After the First World War in Photographs
IWM London 21 September– 31 March 2019 020 7416 5000 iwm.org.uk
Theyears that followed the end of the First World War saw regeneration and rebuilding on an unprecedented scale. This month, IWM London will chart how a new world emerged from devastation and loss, highlighting the ways in which lives, landscapes and national identities recovered, evolved and even prospered in the aftermath of the conflict.
The exhibition explores the initial feeling of optimism that flourished in the wake of the conflict, and the harsh realities of living in the postwar Europe that emerged over time, with displacement, demobilisation and social change.
More than 130 black and white photographs will be on show, along with documents and objects sourced from the IWM’s collections. Among them are images of refugees returning to their ruined homes, of armistice celebrations, of innovations in medicine and plastic surgery, and of destroyed French villages that were never rebuilt.
This month, IWM London also launches a new multiscreen installation: African Soldier, part of its ‘Making a New World’ season. Opening on 21 September, this work by artist John Akomfrah combines a sound score, historic footage and newly created film to commemorate the African soldiers who fought, served and died during the First World War.