The Elements of a lasting Memorial

         We spent the first two weeks at school discussing the purpose and importance of memorials. From our discussions in class, it is determined that great thought must be put forth to create an appropriate memorial, with a proper balance between abstractness and reality. The person designing the memorial must take the material and separate structures into account, and ensure everything works together. By doing so, a memorial that preserves memory, and creates awareness is crafted. These memorials allow the general public to learn from the past and help us grow as a community.

        Memorials help us mourn those who have lost their lives during tragedies equally, whether they lost their lives in action, or in their sleep. These memorials help us become better as a community, learning from the past and avoiding any mistakes our predecessors have made. This can only be achieved through attention to detail which some designers do better than others. For example, structures like the “Memorial to the Wounded Jews” in Germany are poorly executed. This is because this particular structure consists of 2,711 slabs of concrete without any sort of writing like the names of those who sparked its creation. Not to mention, it is located in a busy area, with the intention that more individuals will come in and visit the monument. However, this idea backfires, as people with no background knowledge of the memorial visit, and default to taking pictures for the gram, defeating the purpose of the structure. On the contrary, memorials like the “Vietnam Veterans Memorial” are executed exceptionally well. The creator, Maya Lin pays great attention to detail and maintains the proper balance between abstractness and reality. The names of the veterans in Vietnam are written in chronological order, going from the date of casualty, so families and other veterans who made it out of the war can go back to see the names of their troop members at once. Additionally, the designer describes her impulse to “Cut into the earth” symbolizing a wound in our nation that would take time to heal. She also used black granite for the walls, which let visitors see their own reflections while looking at the names on the wall. This important detail shows how the memorial is not only about the past but also about the present. We can clearly see from the previous examples, that memorials need to be thought through, with all factors (location, material, layout, etc.) in mind.

                    Memorial to the Wounded Jews                                Vietnam Veterans Memorial