Standing With Giants Installation, Portsmouth

About

Standing With Giants: Celebration of Freedom is a striking outdoor installation that brings powerful stories of service, sacrifice and liberty into the heart of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Created by the Standing With Giants charity, this version of the artwork offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on freedom, remembrance and the human cost of conflict within a historic naval setting.

Distinct from the large-scale For Your Tomorrow installation previously shown at Fort Nelson, Celebration of Freedom features a series of 10-foot-tall figures, each designed to be seen, encountered and contemplated at close range. The figures stand as symbols of courage and resilience, representing the men and women whose service helped secure the freedoms we enjoy today.

For those unable to visit Fort Nelson, this installation brings the spirit and message of Standing With Giants directly into the dockyard. Positioned within a site from which countless service personnel once departed, Celebration of Freedom connects place, memory and meaning — linking Portsmouth's maritime heritage with contemporary acts of remembrance.

Visitors are invited to walk among the figures, pause, and reflect on the personal stories behind uniformed service. By presenting history through art, the installation transforms abstract ideas of freedom and sacrifice into something deeply human and accessible for all ages.

The installation is free to visit and open daily from 10:00am–4:30pm, allowing everyone - families, residents and visitors - to engage with this moving tribute as part of their time in the dockyard. No ticket is required; simply ask for a Historic Quarter Pass at the Visitor Centre.

Standing With Giants' Celebration of Freedom is not only an act of remembrance, but a reminder of shared responsibility - to remember, to reflect, and to recognise the individuals whose service continues to shape our present and future.