Street Art Celebrates Battle of Waterloo

This week we unveiled a gigantic piece of street art at the Shoreditch Art Wall as part of our wider #WaterlooLives campaign with the National Army Museum

The piece, named The Returning Soldier, has been installed as part of this year’s 200 year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and commemorates the everyday people behind one of the most influential wars in British and European history.

Passers-by in Shoreditch were treated today as the National Army Museum revealed a new piece of street art to mark the 200-year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 2015. Representing British soldiers over the last 200 years, the art stands as a memorial of all the brave men and women who have served Britain since the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. To check out the Banksy-inspired street art, entitled 'The Returning Soldier' just pop along to Shoreditch Art Wall and share your #WaterlooLives pictures. More information about the Battle of Waterloo can be found at: www.waterloo200.org

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Measuring 20 metres long and three metres tall, the installation took 16 hours to complete (during unseasonal hail and lightening storms) and was a collaboration between NAM and Sketch Events, who commissioned artists from RareKind to bring the concept to life using a range of styles from Banksy-style stencilling to hand painted signage. Painting began a month before the bicentenary of the battle.

Passers-by are asked to share pictures of the street art using #WaterlooLives, as a personal tribute to all the men and women who have served over the last 200 years. For every share, there’s also the chance to win a scaled replica of the design, created by the artist.

For more information about the National Army Museum’s Waterloo Lives programme, or to learn more about the Battle through digital gallery of 200 objects visit waterloo200.org.

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