World War I broke out 100 years ago. With just under ten percent of our population serving overseas, it affected every New Zealand family. It is now beyond living memory. City Gallery commemorates the centenary with an eight-screen video installation by pioneer French filmmaker Chris Marker. Owls at Noon Prelude: The Hollow Men (2005) was inspired by T.S. Eliot’s famous poem ‘The Hollow Men’ (1925), which reflected on the way the War reduced Europe to a wasteland. Marker’s meditation combines texts (reflecting his thoughts on the poem) with moody processed images (including images of wounded veterans and achingly beautiful women), evoking the hopelessness of those who lived through ‘the war to end all wars’. The soundtrack, Corona by Toru Takemitsu, is performed by Australian pianist Roger Woodward.