Questioning memorial design
Exploring and understanding experiences, memories and opinions in today’s online world
UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD School of Art Design and Architecture Department of Architecture and 3D Design THA 1121 Architectural Dissertation Questioning memorial design in todays online world Exploring and understanding experiences, memories and opinions A Special Study submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for BA (Hons) Architecture By Matt Grimshaw U1258012 Word Count: 6019 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is their own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. 13th February 2015
Contents
Abstract
1
Introduction
3
National 11 September Memorial and Museum
6-15
-Narrative -Advertising, Promotion, Reaction -Media Critique -Internet Opinions
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe -Narrative -Advertising, Promotion, Reaction -Media Critique -Internet Opinions
New England Holocaust Memorial + East Coast Memorial -Narrative -Advertising, Promotion, Reaction -Media Critique -Internet Opinions
7-9 11 13 15
18-27 19-21 23 25 27
30-39 31-33 35 37 39
Conclusion
40-43
References
44-47
Bibliography
48-52
Abstract
My interest in architectural experience, over the past few years, has really grown after seeing an increase in opinions based on experience, from people outside of the architectural profession. I have been lucky to have had opportunities to visit a number of different countries, which has given me a chance to really explore different types of architecture and opinion. Experience and memory of place has dominated in my thinking having visited many places of interest.
Experiencing a range of popular places over the summer, with trips to New York and Boston, really allowed me to grasp how good the 9/11 memorial experience was. Throughout the diverse spaces I had visited, this experience came as a surprise, because it was unlike anything I had previously witnessed. The question of memorial design then continued, as I began comparing experiences. The obsession with death in recent years has escalated within media as an element of ‘dark tourism’ has grown in many countries, resulting in additional plans being made for memorials.
This link between media, opinion, experience and memory through memorial, has become a link that I feel has been overlooked. Many forget to question areas of design that relate back to previous experience and memory. This is especially present in memorial design. Questioning anything to do with a memorial becomes controversial for some people. In an online age, where honest opinion is available, I look to compare a number of memorials I have visited, in order to draw conclusions on there designed experiences.
1
Introduction
I feel that memory and experience holds a considerable meaning in architecture and more specifically in memorials. I feel that you have to question everything within architecture itself, and memorials, museums and monuments should all come under question when studying experience. I also feel that exploring other peoples opinions of architecture is important. Ingles (2015) is quoted saying ’it’s very important to acquire the tools and the language to interact with people other than architects’.
I always find memorials interesting because the main aim of them is to work with peoples emotions by trying to get people to remember or reflect on an event or person. Memorials are in truth used to trigger thoughts and so when recognising a form as a memorial, anticipation occurs. Hornstein (2011) observes that it is a ‘nearly impossible task of creating sites that will act as triggers to the past’.
An experience will always be taken away by the user, through different types of architecture, where the majority of time it is subconsciously remembered, whether it be mind, body or place. Memorials on the other hand are designed as a way of triggering feeling and remembrance. This leads me to specifically look into memorials and relevant counterparts by exploring my own experiences, advertising, professional critique and peoples shared opinions. With the advances of social networking sites in recent years, peoples opinions are becoming ever more important in the success of architecture.
Everything written in the first part of each section is taken purely from my own memories of my own experiences. This, in a way, represents an atmosphere I felt or a mood that the architecture expressed as a feeling. The extracts were written before any research was carried out on the other elements of the essay.
3
National September 11 Memorial and Museum Manhattan, New York Visited 25th August 2014
Narrative
Grimshaw (2014)
By being in the heart of Manhattan, New York, zones can vastly change from the narrowing streets and enclosed feel of the skyscrapers, to the vibrant parks and rhythmic sea. The 9/11 memorial and museum was a new site in the city that I experienced this summer.
Looking back on the journey to the memorial and museum as an overview, I find that it links strongly back to Dylan Trigg’s idea of ‘Body Memory’. From the subway up to ground level and back down to the museum depths is a route that the large majority will take. The movement between cool, warm, cool; calm, rush, calm and quite, loud, quite; all work in a spatial rhythm driven on peoples bodily experiences as they pass through city zones.
In comparison to the many memorials and museums I have visited, it was not only the journey that was different, but the experience. The single reason for this, is that you simply do not know what the experience will be like, until you have been through it. I did not start to question the spatial or architectural experience upon entry. The strong subject matter of the 9/11 remembrance played within my thinking and so when I approached, everything else went to the back of my mind and so I felt more worried about how the events might touch me.
As a volume it is so unexpected and out of context. Going from the confined New York city spaces to this huge ‘cave like’ space, creates a difference in zones and creates something that is incomparable. The museum is possibly the most out of context piece I have visited and the memorial, vast, meaningful and possibly the most peaceful place in New York City. As Zumthor (2006) describes ‘The most beautiful things generally come as a surprise’ and that is exactly how I felt.
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Narrative
Grimshaw (2014)
The museum, situated below ground level, creates a volume of silent space beneath the vibrancy above. In the two to three hours spent exploring the vast space, only a couple of times did I hear people talking. The atmosphere seemed a precarious one at first. I got the feeling that the odd person would suddenly break into tears, but that just did not happen. The space was organised in a way that if a part was especially emotional it could be avoided.
The scale of the space was special. The entrance into the main volume involves a winding, downward ramp. A couple of exhibitions are located here, but it became clear that these were not the main attraction. People would peer down into the space, towards the walls of concrete. Most would stop and stare. It was a very powerful journey, created with just an enclosed space. Obvious forms of information were situated cleverly in circulation routes as the exhibitions were laid out around the two downward extruded blocks, which form the empty foundations of the old twin towers.
The memorial consists of two square voids of space surrounded by falling water. The memorial touches all senses, but most importantly interacts with sound. The falling water creates a hush of continuous noise. Even the nearby construction work became muted. It creates an atmosphere at ground level, which is a continuation from the museum as it allows for self-thinking and in some cases remembrance of the 9/11 events. The memorial currently does not serve as a public square as intended, mainly because the surrounding plots are still under construction.
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Graveman S.G (2012) Fig 2
The Onion (2008) Fig 1
Budweiser (2011) Fig 3
Advertising Promotion Reaction
The lengthy design process of the Ground Zero memorial was one of question and debate. Such an event threw up a range of opinions, with architecture taking a back seat through the early years of development. Creating a memorial was thoroughly questioned in New York, ‘Do we want to celebrate the culture of death, instead of the culture of the living?’ Golderger (2004). Growing pressure from the thousands of people connected to the over 3,000 killed, meant that the 16 acre site of the twin towers would become a memorial rather than a fully commercial site, which 4 out of the 7 architectural teams prospecting for the project had proposed. With Daniel Libeskind’s master plan being accepted, renders of the memorial and museum were released to the public, sparking a mixed reaction (Fig 1). The biggest worry comes from the extent of public opinion created from a single image or render. All of a sudden people see something and bring up their own stereotype opinion. Rasmussen (1959) argues, ‘It is not enough to see architecture; you must experience it’. How can people have an opinion without having the experience? The answer is that they go back on their own memories of what they think a memorial is. Renders don’t illustrate an experience, but an idea, concept or way of thinking. The renders represent a landscape, no architectural thinking behind the images is shown. The experience may have been felt by the designer, who knows exactly how to recreate that. Unfortunately not everyone will understand because they have not yet experienced it. Unlike most new landmarks or points of interest, the 9/11 memorial and museum needed very little advertising. In fact it was used as a symbol to advertise other companies including, Budweiser, Clydesdale and AT&T (Fig 2&3). Once the museum opened, it became wide spread news across America, prompting the memories to flood back. “It had sort of receded a little bit, and coming back here brings it back to life,”Dr. Koppel (Farrell, 2014). As the first few people began to experience the museum and memorial finally twinned together, the New York Times recorded people saying, “I am not sure I would come again. The feelings it stirred up were not pleasant feelings” Dr. Koppel (Farrell, 2014), which perhaps was used as a way of sending a clear message to directly affected New Yorkers. The experience described in the article only identifies feelings from the museums content, rather than the whole experience.
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Media Critique
Analysing a number of online reports from sources such as newspapers and architectural reports, reveals all kinds of messages regarding experience and memory in architecture. Most reports, including ones by Dezeen and the Guardian for example focus on a descriptive report, with little opinion, aimed towards people who may be interested in experiencing it for themselves.
‘The New Yorker’ magazine on the other hand relates directly to personal experience. The article opens with ‘To get into the 9/11 Memorial Museum, you have to pass through a world-class security arrangement’ Gopnik (2014). This point does slightly drift more towards management of the museum, however as an architect you have to think that these kinds of experiences challenge the success of your design. Lyndon (2009) also argues this by saying ‘As designers our task is to make places memorable by considering how we may absorb and direct attention through thoughtful place making’. This is where I believe experience intervenes in architecture. It is obvious that Gopnik, writing for the New Yorker, had a clear memory of this intervening security experience and so instantly framed it for the reader.
Gopnik (2014) also writes ‘there is an absolute case for a memorial, the case for a museum is more unsettled’, which I would have to disagree with. The purpose of the museum is to educate the vast tourism it receives and without a museum the memorial becomes just another memorial. Trigg (2012) has a similar view as he suggests that without continuous commemoration or other purpose ‘monuments become reduced to spatial markers, fixed in the ever changing present’.
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Internet Opinions
TripAdvisor (2014/15)
Media views no doubt have a burden on the success of architectural pieces including memorials, however it is the public reaction that can become so important. Treib (2009) says, ‘The experience of place is infused with memory, echoes of previous visits, expectations and recollections invoked by similar places, as well as images and descriptions in ads.’ The popularity of internet reviewing has grown over the last few years as websites such as TripAdvisor and Twitter have allowed people to instantly give there opinion on architectural places.
The 9/11 memorial is seen largely successful on TripAdvisor with 89% grading it either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’. Only 3% suggest the memorial is ‘terrible’ or ‘poor’. Interestingly enough the reviews rating it ‘terrible’ mostly relate to a preconceived idea. Some do however relate to their personal experience. One labels it ‘not a memorial, but a tourist attraction’. Another rates it ‘terrible’ by saying, ‘The place is very beautiful, but the energy is bad’ TripAdvisor (2014).
One member blames the surrounding construction, security, waiting times and cost on it being terrible, but again describes the memorial as being ‘beautifully made’. 3% is a very small minority, however it is interesting to see that very few of the 87 ‘terrible’ rated reviews actually criticise the memorial design. They focus directly on personal bad experiences. Having also looked at ‘excellent’ rated reviews, this one was particularly relevant, ‘A very thought provoking visit, it isn’t beautiful but it is tremendous to see and hear’ TripAdvisor (2014).
The majority remember the memorial as being brilliantly designed, but even when opinion differs, the experience is still rated as excellent due to the senses that the person experienced. The opinions are all based upon the persons memory. Casey (2000) argues that ‘our capacity of memory would be impossible without a body memory’ and therefore our bodily experience. ‘The world is reflected in the body and the body is projected into the world’. This again highlights the importance of creating a unique experience.
15
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Berlin Visited 6th January 2015
Narrative
Grimshaw (2015)
Berlin has been described as the ‘commemoration capital’ in Germany, as It has seen numerous memorials crowd out central parts. The capital wished to continue commemorating its own unity and progressive movements of past centuries and so commissioned the memorial in 1994, for it to eventually be completed in 2005.
Over 2,700 concrete ‘stelae’ form the memorial in a sprawling concrete landscape. Memorial meaning and indication is limited, no signage, no engravings, no explanation, Eisenman expects people to make it their own. The memorial is essentially a piece of art, there is no specific attachment aimed towards anything. Eisenman (2005) is quoted saying ‘everybody needs to make it look like something they know’. The experience and lack of explanation has led to strong reactions through advertising, media and online reviewing.
The bodily experience of the memorial and connected centre of information is in parts similar to that of the 9/11 memorial. The procedure of escaping below the undulating surface, being wrapped in information and then exiting to appear in the block maze, is well planned. First sightings of the memorial revealed a playful, but mysterious mood. The gradual height differences of the blocks possessed flowing, rhythmic qualities, whilst the darkened shadows in between created a contrasting, haunting feel to the space.
The external spaces within the memorial are very contained. The spaces are narrow enough to become passageways rather than any form of static space, it felt uncomfortable to stop. Reflection and remembrance were emotions as far away as elation and jubilation. Space beneath is crowded, but here there is space to think and absorb, as people remain static for lengthy periods, reading and listening. Both spaces are quite contrasting, a subdued, informative atmosphere below and a mysterious, mischievous and slightly lost atmosphere above. Both halves are connected with this undulating concrete landscape, which is carried through above and below.
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Narrative
Grimshaw (2015)
A view of the memorial from afar was unclear, as the grey shaded blocks blended into the fog and winter trees in the distance. A small queuing group appeared and then a scattering of silver railings signalled a route down to the entrance. There was a moment of quietness while waiting among a group, but also smiles as a few glimpses of bobbing heads could be seen amongst the concrete blocks. There was no indication of what to expect upon free entry.
The scale of the surface memorial is vast, disappointingly the information centre beneath did not match its size. The open entrance room is very simple, enticing people to look up and see the surface ‘stelae’ extruded forms. After passing through security, cloak room and headset duties, I was incredibly surprised to hear an opening architectural explanation of the above ‘stelae’ forms and upcoming layout before anything else. Exhibit forms are described to create a link to the above ‘steles’. Interestingly, Eisenman has said in the past that he was against the idea of an information centre, but was unable to win the battle as an architect.
The information centre leads on to a narrow space, where a brief overall insight is given and six personal Jewish experiences are portrayed. Moving through the next few rooms the story telling of individuals and families remains, allowing the participant to grasp an idea of experiences and emotions these people went through during the years of the holocaust. Simple spaces, with simple layouts gave great opportunities for information to be absorbed.
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Headline: EasyJet apologises for in-flight ‘The holocaust never happened’ magazine fashon shoot at the Berlin A billboard used in 2001 aimed to attract more donations towards Holocaust Memorial the memorial Daily Mail (2009) National Journal (2001)
Advertising / Promotion / Reaction
Patterson (2000)
The design process of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was drawn out for longer than that of the 9/11 memorial. The eagerness to create a memorial originally came from a very small group of German citizens in 1988. The first competition was held in 1994 when 528 proposals were submitted only for the Chancellor to turn them all down and opt for a new competition in 1996. This time Eisenman was in favour and had his design completed in 2005. In 2004 the construction was well underway with blocks being hoisted into position. Media continued to report the memorial including the organisation ‘Deutsche Welle’ who wrote ‘The visitor will be struck by how distant the busy city centre seems, and how quiet and reflective – but not graveyard-like – the atmosphere is’ DW (2003). Of course this is a complete guess having had no experience of the actual memorial, with only a glimpse at the building site. The architect describes himself , ‘I wanted people to have an experience that was different and slightly unsettling’ (Eisenman 2005). The experience here has somewhat already been prejudged and preached to the public. The editor has simply taken his previous architectural experiences to portray this view. The attraction of ‘dark tourism’ to the public, means that the memorial continues to attract crowds all year round. The memorial is promoted widely across visitor sites including, About, LonelyPlanet, TimeOut and Touropia, where it is featured in ‘Berlin’s top 10 places to visit’. Each of these top listed sites hold small descriptions, which relate back to the editors personal experience through the memorial stones rather than in the information centre. All descriptions praise the site, as Amondson (2014) uses ‘one of the most impressive and moving monuments’. They also promote the value of the architectural experience and use it as an advertising point as TimeOut (2013) says, ‘to engage you need to walk into it and experience its shifts in perspective, and the shifting effects of light, distance, isolation and claustrophobia’. Here the common theme occurring in promotional editors is the link back to the ‘memorial experience’. The concrete forms create a wide range of emotions, due to its uniquely arranged spaces. This then makes it a popular place to visit, even when its aim of creating ‘remembrance’ is lacking. Eisenman (2005) admits ‘It’s not a sacred place’.
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Berlin (2014) Fig 4
Media Critique
Reading numerous media reports, reveals a tendency to focus on architectural experience over descriptive language on design, politics and internal content. Review editors regularly include important members of the community. Bubis, who was the leader of the German Jewish Community, labelled the memorial ‘unnecessary’, as he struggled to gain any feelings from the site. This was reported in the OpenBuildings (2010) article. Neumärker, the head of the information centre, is quoted in the same article saying the memorial is a ‘tourist magnet’. I believe this is the case due to its diverse creation of space and therefore experience.
The Mail Online have recently reported on tourists photos (Fig 4). One opinion featured is that of German newspaper, BILD (2014) , who say ‘Why are these people showing no respect at all for the dead?’. Here the controversial nature of the memorial is having a knock on effect and offending others. Carter (2011) reports that the memorial ‘feels playful’ just like Hundertwassers art and architecture. The famous architectural critic, Wefing (2005), says if you feel its a ‘meaning-free land art installation, you are not hindered from thinking that way’. You are however hindered from acting that way. The reports into these ‘playful’ experiences has meant that there is now security overlooking the memorial.
The fact is that the memorial is so diverse that its architectural experience will always change through different generations. The tendency to interact with the memorial is somewhat forbidden, however like many others of my generation, memorials no longer bring back much meaning, especially in the case of Eisenman’s memorial. I feel Hornstein (2001) sums it up well by summarising, ‘What we bring to architecture is our bodily experience, but also, it cannot be denied, our imagination’. Noever (2005) in his book on Eisenman, also ends well by describing the experience like this. ‘In this context, there is no memory of the past, only the living memory of the individual experience’.
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Internet Opinions
TripAdvisor (2014/15)
When searching ‘Berlin Holocaust Memorial’ in Google, the top hit is Google Reviews, whilst Tripadvisor is ranked fifth in the listings. Similar to the opinions of the 9/11 memorial, ‘excellent’ rated reviews focus on the uniqueness of an experience. Many also point out in their reviews the importance of visiting the information centre beneath, ‘you must go in to the centre to get the full experience’. The same person furthermore describes the memorial as a ‘sculpture’ where the ‘artistic side fits the sediment and emotion perfectly’. Others suggest, ‘it was not my usual idea of art’, but they were emotionally ‘struck by the installation’ TripAdvisor (2015). This shows that without the usual memorial design, which includes inscriptions and an obvious meaning, visitors relate back to it being an art object, which in turn creates the experience.
If the Holocaust memorial is portraying these emotions then is it a memorial just because of its title? Should it be listed as a memorial? Are all of the holocaust related emotions from the memorial planted by its title, the information centre and a preconceived idea? Online reviews suggest these kind of things. Many describe the experience as just ‘memorable’. Trigg (2012) says ‘through their strangeness, places become memorable by disturbing patterns of regularity and habit’. It is this different kind of experience within the Berlin memorial, which I would argue makes it not only memorable, but successful.
One says ‘this was disappointing, ugly and I would have preferred a green park’. Another says ‘it looked like a recreation park’ and was ‘annoyed at idiot parents playing hide and seek with their kids’ TripAdvisor (2014). It is the range of perceptions through the design experience, which has made the memorial so controversial. If the word ‘memorial’ had never been attached to the site then could this have perhaps been one of the most popular parks in Berlin? With the things Eisenman has suggested I believe the design aimed to almost be an anti-memorial. ‘If they want to knock the stones over tomorrow, honestly, that’s fine’ Eisenman (2005).
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The New England Holocaust Memorial Boston Visited 21st August 2014
East Coast Memorial Manhatten, New York Visited 25th August 2014
Narrative
Grimshaw (2014)
The New England Holocaust memorial is located in a tight space in the centre of Boston. I happened to stumble across the memorial, while passing by the City Hall and the Faneuil Hall Market. The six glass towers were built in 1995 and it was these tall turquoise towers, rising above a gathering of trees that originally caught my attention.
The journey to the memorial was one which felt similar to a traditional memorial. A spontaneous visit, coming second to being in a large gathering watching street performers. The six towers, which peaked in sunlight, were just another reflection in the corner of my eye, while cheering, clapping and a sombre atmosphere was being taken in. Two opposite moods were created with only fifty metres of open air to separate them. A series of enclosed spaces are created around the memorial, as lines of trees are clamped by two parallel roads. These trees create a shaded generous space at the front of the six tower journey, which is a simple, relaxed space. The space is perhaps too attractive for the homeless who sparsely populate front areas.
The 132 glass panels are all engraved with numbers or quotes, representing the magnitude of the holocaust events. Upon entry, beneath the glass panels, the space bottlenecks, leaving no more than a two metre pathway, which becomes increasingly blocked. This leaves little or no time for reflection, thinking or events to be discussed, as thoughts are more focused on letting people pass. The emotion within the five to ten minute walkthrough experience is one focused entirely on thinking about the scale of events. Remembrance featured very little within my experience.
Maybe it was because I did not know enough about the Holocaust events, this forms a number of questions. Should a memorial be more than a remembrance spark? Nora (2011) also questions this by saying ‘how will monuments continue to function for future generations’, ‘in what ways can they ensure a meaningful connection to the past’. This monument simply doesn’t do that. If you cannot experience remembering in a memorial of this kind, then personally I would make it more educational, rather than it just being an architectural element that marks respect.
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Narrative
Grimshaw (2014)
The East Coast memorial in Battery Park, New York, was a space that I had a similar experience to that of the Holocaust memorial. Whilst walking the scenic south coastline of Manhattan I stumbled across this memorial amongst the other twenty-one memorials located in the peaceful Battery Park.
A wide passage of open solid space is seen on arrival, with four granite walls at either side giving a boundary to the space, as they make way for a view of the eagle in the distance. A long axis is clearly created between the eagle and the Statue of Liberty. The monument built in 1963 and restored in 2001, commemorates the 4,000 who died at sea during World War II. The experience is one of peace, but not of reflection or remembrance. The peace comes from the space simply being uninhabited.
The large space and park setting is relaxing in the summer sun and if nothing else, the monument creates a framed view and a strong relationship between the land and sea. The eagle represented a good photo opportunity, whilst the solid walls are given a couple of seconds of viewing time. The walls had only become back rests and sun shades for people to rest upon. I see this as a lost memorial, nothing more than a ‘spatial marker’, which is ‘fixed in the ever changing present’ Trigg (2012).
Questioning these types of memorial spaces has become ever more present in my thinking, especially having had such an extraordinary experience at the 9/11 memorial museum. The comparison made between these experiences are at completely different scales. Previous memory is completely taken out of the frame in these last two examples and it seems that when there is no memory, there isn’t much of a memorial. Spatial consideration and therefore architectural consideration in these two examples should be questioned, just like every other designed space is.
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Advertising Promotion Reaction
Similar to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, only a minority of the Jewish community originally wanted the memorial in Boston. Many, including Heathcote (1999) suggested that ‘the erection of the monument is a political, as well as a purely memorial gesture’. In the 90’s memorials continued to be built, especially in America, where there was a ‘memorial boom’. Treib (2009) says that ‘in the US, a kind of memorial exhaustion has set in’. Reports also state the main focus of creating memorials was for political reasons. In 1995 when the memorial was complete, an opening ceremony marked a day of commemoration. In this particular event, hundreds of people where gathered in remembrance. It was reported that there was a ‘surreal atmosphere’. Frank (1995) reported that the ‘Memorial touched the hearts of those who attended the dedication and drew many to tears’. Within a year of the opening the memorial was heavily visited and recognised, ever since then however there has been a decline in popularity. Treib (2009) makes a very valid point. ‘We might question the very premise that memorials ought to be permanent, to historicise this urge’. The key question is that of the event. Were people drawn into tears because the holocaust events were close to their hearts? Were they emotionally moved simply because of the occasion? Or was it because the memorials design meant something to them? I would suggest the latter was irrelevant. In Casey’s (2000) piece on commemoration, he states ‘I was not remembering any of the war dead who were being honoured’. He also questions memorial commemoration, ‘we find ourselves unselfconsciously engaging without knowing what we are doing’. Both the New England Holocaust memorial and the East Coast memorial do not feature heavily online. Many hotel booking sites actually use the search terms to advertise their own sites and promote their hotels being close to the memorials. Here they almost act as a landmark, where any knowledge of the memorial is used to the companies advantage. Hornstein (2011) questions the roles of memorials by saying, ‘When the memory of those who fought to erect a monument is gone, what role does the monument play in its context?’. The roles of these two memorials seem very different to the two previous. For example, the East Coat memorial is used to benefit photographers as their pictures of the walls and the eagle are sold on websites such as ‘Shutterstock’ and ‘Amazon’. It is very possible that people buying the photos have no idea of its meaning or intention as a design. Here the experience, which essentially makes a memorial, is transformed into a two dimensional image.
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Media Critique
Finding media interpretations of the Boston Holocaust Memorial and the East Coast memorial is hard to come by. However, a few reports just after the opening of the Holocaust memorial in 1995 are accessible. The Boston Globe features an opinion based report on design. The opening line, ‘It’s at its best at night’ Campbell (1995), mimics the feeling of disappointment, displayed throughout the rest of the article. The report suggests that the architecture and architectural experience of the memorial is questionable. ‘It certainly isn’t great art or great architecture, and that’s too bad’, ‘The path is narrow, and even a small crowd creates congestion at the towers’. A more recent report made by ‘The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research’ (2010) says the memorial is the ‘worst piece of public art’ in the state. The report is short and focuses entirely on appearance. ‘Aside from virtually eliminating an important piece of green space for the area, and overwhelming the buildings near it, the monument is tacky with heavy-handed symbolism’. Interestingly, throughout this article it is referred too as ‘art’, rather than a memorial, indicating that the editor feels there is a lack of meaning behind it. Finding articles relating to the East Coast Memorial is difficult. However by doing research, I have realised that the memorial seems to be grouped in articles with the entirety of Battery Park, alongside its other twenty-one memorials. Any single mention of the memorial seems to have vanished, which perhaps highlights that it has become a lost memory of a memorial. Treib refers to the quantity of memorials and the part this plays in memorial rejection. ‘Our spaces and calendars become saturated with mnemonics that undermine the way a mnemonic works in the first place’ Treib (2009). Other newspapers and articles report on the opening of the memorial, where only facts are present. Opinion and experience is left for the reader to interpret after visiting the memorial. The lack of reports, views and professional opinion on the two memorials through not only media, but in publications, is interesting. Many pose the questions such as, do we want to have so much reminding us of the terror, or more of a living memorial about our culture?
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Internet Opinions
TripAdvisor (2014/15)
TripAdvisor has become a valuable tool in discovering peoples honest opinions on memorials. In this section on these two memorials, it is the statistics displayed on the site that have become rather more interesting. As mentioned previously, the East Coast memorial is more often than not, hidden beneath the Battery Park title. Here there are only 798 reviews for Battery Park, where not one of them mention the memorial in writing. As of February 2015, the Holocaust similarly has only 850 reviews in its entire history. In comparison, the Memorial to Murdered Jews in Berlin has 6904 reviews, whilst the 9/11 Memorial has 9480 reviews. These numbers show a clear contrast in the interest and popularity that has been created.
The Holocaust Memorial in Boston does have an element of thinking that I appreciate. Its concept attempts to incorporate the experience directly into the design. The memorial includes features such as the heated zones beneath the six towers. These are more notable when the weather is colder, as steam can be seen rising up the towers. Another sense is touched in this experience, but perhaps this is too literal. A number of online reviews suggest this by saying, ‘it just didn’t have an emotional impact on me, it is disgusting they would put steam in it.’ Heathcote (1999) in the book Monument Builders says it is ‘one of the most monumental and theatrical of memorials’, as he also relates to these added elements of experience orientated design.
Many of the reviews highlight the location as a weakness of the memorial, as it affects the experience. One says with it being ‘on a busy road its not particularly peaceful’. Young (1994) also agrees, ‘With cars whizzing by on both sides its hardly the setting for quite meditation’. Another view, very interestingly refers to his past experience by saying ‘perhaps my visit to an actual Holocaust camp has forever tainted my perception’ TripAdvisor (2014). This raises the interesting point of past experiences and memories playing a role in future experiences. The real experience of actually visiting a holocaust camp in the location that the events occurred, obviously had an impact on the reviewer. When he compares the two experiences, the Boston memorial does not have anywhere near as much meaning than the true located experience.
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Conclusion
Analysing the area of advertising, promotion and reaction, for each case study, has signified that media often make prejudgments on how the space will be experienced, before experiencing it themselves. It has also shown that the first few experiential reactions are the most important as the media then use them in reports, which are seen thousands of times, years after being published. Decisions take years to confirm the construction of memorials, with final designs often being accepted, without anyone being fully committed. The pressure of creating a memorial almost forces a design to be accepted, without questioning the building of a memorial strongly enough.
Media and professional opinion was particularly interesting to analyse when picking out experience based points. Any controversy is pinpointed in memorial reviews, as an experience is not only taken away from the memorial design, but also from others experiencing it for themselves. It is clear to see that the knock on effects from memorial experiences are very often the main point in reports. In many written opinions, people often comment on how others react, for example younger children looking disinterested in the 9/11 memorial and people of all ages playing within the memorial in Berlin. I therefore feel that in depth thinking of experiences in design is very important, not only in memorial design, but in every design.
Reading thousands of reviews has really framed the importance of making a unique experience in design. A unique experience is remembered for longer periods of time and is seen by the wider public to be of far greater importance. The architectural design could potentially be rated highly by professionals, but if the experience is lacking then it becomes less successful. Simple experiential activities are very commonly presented in personal reviews, rather than the aesthetics or conceptual architectural design. With clever spatial thinking, the architectural design can of course lead to an incredible experience, I think the 9/11 memorial and museum is a perfect example of this. This section highlights the importance of combining feelings and design, which is perhaps more influential in memorials, landmarks and places of interest.
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Conclusion
To conclude on each of the case studies, I would say that the National 11 September Memorial is the most successful memorial I have visited and therefore a great example of a well designed memorial. The experience is raw and meaningful, not only for myself, but for a large percentage of people who visit the site. The memorial and museum combination makes the whole concept of the design come together, as education becomes equal to memory. The memorial targets all generations and therefore improves the designed experience of the wider public. The meaning of the memorial will be present for many years to come. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, is almost an anomaly in memorial design. The memorial, in my opinion, becomes an anti memorial as it looses its meaning through the experience of people. The blocks are seen by the majority to be a concrete maze of fun, which affects others who like to think of it as being a place of memory. I feel that Eisenman must have known that these activities would happen. The huge media reaction to it being controversial has only made the memorial more successful, as it continues to attract attention and become a tourist magnet. I feel that this design demonstrates the amount of reaction and difference in experience you can create just from a scattering of concrete blocks. I believe the memorial in Berlin still serves a reasonable purpose through a unique experience. The same cannot be said for the New England Holocaust memorial. The lack of media, professional and public opinion displayed online shows that there is a lack of interest surrounding the memorial. This doesn’t mean that an emotional experience is not present for everyone on a day to day basis. People will still see the memorial as a place of memory, but I believe that the time has passed and now the memorial doesn’t present much of a meaning for a large percentage of the people experiencing it. The East Coast memorial is a memorial that I have argued to be no more than a landmark. A memorial of this nature, in my view, should be temporary. There is very little experience attached to this memorial any more. As presented in media and in personal views, the memorial is still attractive to some, where it is displayed in a number of attractive pictures. I believe that in the modern day, memorials of this nature are still being constructed and in another 20 to 30 years these memorials will have once again lost there meaning. This calls out for the quantities of memorial design to be reduced. Designs should be exciting, where a unique experience is created, allowing bodily memories to live on. ‘The success of a monument comes, in part, from a designer who is skilful enough to understand the depths of our experience of architectural form.’ Golderger (2004)
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References
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