A monument can be many things. The Eiffel tower and The Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. are two examples of extremely effective monuments that are completely different. The Eiffel is a multi-faceted monument, symbolizing more than one point in French History. The visitor can thusly, make his or her own interpretation because it’s not a representational image of image of a certain point of French History. In my opinion, I think it may be easier to remember what the monument is supposed to represent because the image is so striking.
The Holocaust museum in D.C. also uses striking imagery to help people remember the Holocaust. Although, the imagery is definitely more grounded in realism the images being shown aren’t necessarily the grossest and goriest images. They are more clever in their depiction of the event, making it easier to remember.
http://www.tour-eiffel.com/http://www.ushmm.org/
4 comments:
One of the common attributes of the most "successful" memorials (at least that I've picked up on) has been that they are very striking visually, whether that be in image or size. What are some of the most common memorials that you remember best? The 9/11 Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and maybe even the Vietnam Memorial. You remember them because they stick into your mind because of the "shock value"--even if that shock value is only the fact that they were so big. Think about it. There are probably many statues around New York city, and exactly how many of them do you remember?
I live in DC, so I've seen all of the DC monuments millions of times, but the only one that ever really sticks out in my mind is the Vietnam Memorial. Its really simple in comparison to all the others, but in my mind its the most effective. There is a really beautiful poem about the memorial, but I can't remember the name of it. I think I read it in one of my freshman year english classes here. Does anyone know the poem I'm talking about?
I recently also visited the WWII Memorial after it opened in 2004 and that one is also quite striking. There is a large fountain in the middle, so it feels like a place that people can really gather and sit around and reflect in.
I feel like the monuments that strike me most are the ones that catch you off guard, and are a bit more intimate. Large memorials draw lots of attention, but sometimes I feel like it desensitizes the viewer to its actual meaning because the imagery of it is so well-known. If that makes sense.. I feel like monuments should be large enough to grab attention, but still allow onlookers to interact on a more personal level. I'm weirdly drawn to spontaneous memorials like ghost bikes, which is when a cyclist is hit by a car, their bike is painted white and chained to a pole near where the accident happened. They're often overlooked, but moving to the people who do notice. I remember someone was talking about the irish potato famine memorial in class, and that really sparked my interest. I love memorials that you first see, and you're like "what the hell is that?". Then on closer inspection it makes sense. Those weird/visually striking ones stay with me.
I tend to remember the most unusual monuments the best. I have shared a little information with my project group about the “concrete corn” memorial in my hometown of Dublin, Ohio. The concrete corn sculpture was commissioned to commemorate Dublin’s farmland that has now been cleared to build houses and strip malls. The farming community was still present in Dublin twenty years ago; I think they could have waited a bit longer to memorialize it! It does attract tourists who for some reason seek it out like they would the largest ball of twine, or any other strange site while traveling across America. The sheer silliness of this monument makes it stick out in my mind.
Remembering this monument of my home has helped me to expand my research of our memorial project. In addition to smell, it seems like concept, size, location and surroundings add to the way we remember a memorial or monument.
concrete corn picture
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