A Metopolis article about a symposium that examines how architects understand memorials. The symposium was called “Remembering the Unimaginable: Berlin and New York” and the participants were involved in planning and buildings the memorial for the murdered jews of Europe in Berlin, and the memorial to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in NY
“He differentiated the two memorials by noting Eisenman’s is purely commemorative, while Arad’s is commemorative and regenerative. Eisenman’s task, Young explained, was not to respond to the arguably ineffable Holocaust, but rather articulate its horror. By identifying with that horror, the monument could memorialize its victims.
In contrast, Arad’s job, slightly easier in the realm of architectural representation, was to mark a very specific loss and suggest a type of renewal. While the young architect’s design approached the former issue well, said Young, the regenerative aspects were largely the responsibility of the memorial’s co-designer, landscape architect Peter Walker.”
