Through looking at memorials as monuments, I want to focus on the design and social presence of the structures within public space.

Photographs shot in film on Pentax ME – 35 mm – Ilford fp4

 

The bronze group of men on a boat is a scene based on an actual historical picture that was took in World War II by Nazi U-boat soldiers.  Here is a statue that is looked at over the water, and can be admired by its stiff and extended movement from land into the water creating realistic qualities.

The ground zero pools, and large enclosing waterfall, make up the footprints of the Twin Towers, symbolizing the loss and void left by the attacks, and attempt to mute all outside sound of the city, and are surrounded by more than 400 white oak trees to complete the quiet area.

Right next to the pool is the Oculus Structure, that  is a new hub of transportation in the city.  The designers took the seriousness of the site they were building on to create something extravagant to replicate a dove taking flight, and bring together the people of the city.  I think the projected was overextended with a massive government budget to promote public transportation through dedication of space, without showing any similarities to New York’s transportation style in a historical area, and does not look like a dove.

The Irish Hunger Memorial shows a picture of rural Ireland with stone walls from every county, an abandoned stone cottage, and fallow potato fields to represent the Potato Famine in Ireland.  This juxtaposing with the frosted black and glowing white glass on the walls of the entrance to the monument show the movement to New York, more modern times, and rising up through tragedy.

Lastly the Statue of Liberty torch lights the way to freedom in the United States, “showing the path to liberty”.  The Statue was what many immigrants first saw as the came over by boat in hopes of a new life in America.  The monument is known world wide and is imprinted is most Americans minds through picture, as it is far off the coast of Battery Park.

From massive architecture structures and waterfalls to sculpted statues, these monuments serve as memory of tragic loss and hard times, but are created and places to remind us in a way that will make one look back in sorrow, but allows look ahead with hope as well as appreciating what one has now.  The designs can keep people in awe for minutes walking through or hours as they take a step back.

Supporting Photos & Assignment 2: Noticing

 

Looking at public spaces it was interesting to see the heavy concentration of public spaces around monuments and kept in certain areas of the city.  In these open areas around Battery Park there is plenty of seating and open spaces, when many of these seating areas are unused many times of the day or week.  More uptown there is a huge lack of seating, even in more open areas.