Marisa Paolillo
Honors Thesis Colloquium
MHC 355
November 2011
Annotated Bibliography
Carchidi, Victoria. “Struggling with terror: the Pentagon memorial.” Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes 30:3 (2010): 193-207.
- Carchidi analyzes the Pentagon Memorial in terms of how successful or unsuccessful it is as an effective memorial. She brings up important points about memorials in general, such as the memorial’s relation to its site and the memorial’s physical maintenance. Both of these aspects will be taken into consideration when I write about the 9/11 Memorial. She states that many of the materials used in creating the memorial are not very durable, pointing out clogs in the water pipes and crumbling concrete walls. The organization of the site is based on factual data about the victims, such as their age and year of birth. However, she says that the memorial is unsuccessful because it tells us nothing about the people besides how old they were, and there is a missing element that allows the viewer to relate to the victims and the event. Besides the random visitor, however, the families of the victims were actually pleased with the monument. This highlights the fact that there are differences in individual meaning, and that these are just as important as the community’s meaning of the memorial.
Dupre, Judith. Monuments. New York: Random House, 2007.
- Dupre’s book is a compilation of various American monuments and some general information on their construction. Although she acknowledges that memorials change in meaning, she pays more attention to their one collective meaning at the time of their construction. Other authors, such as Victoria Carchidi, emphasize the importance of the individual connection to the memorial as well. Dupre believes that the role of memorials is to mark historical moments in time so that we can move on and at a later date go back to remember those events. This is problematic because it assumes that memory is fixed. I plan to argue the importance of a fluid memory in approaching memorials as fluid spaces. She discusses some ancient memorials that were built solely with a permanent meaning in mind, such as the funerary Egyptian Pyramids and Mayan structures. What was important for the Egyptians or Mayans is not necessarily as important in our society now, where there is a focus on transience and fluidity as well as permanence. Whereas Dupre focuses more on the meaning of the initial construction and the general consensus of the society that built the memorial, I feel that we can better understand memorials by concentrating on their changing meaning through time and the different reactions and emotions that are evoked in different kinds of visitors.
Friedman, D. S. “Public Things in the Modern City.” Journal of Architectural Education 49:2 (1995): 62-78.
- Friedman discusses the paradox of public art, which combines both the artist’s personal expression as well as the needs of the community. He writes about how there should be a necessary balance between the two in order for the memorial to be received well by the public. He compares two structures, Mayan Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc. Whereas the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was eventually met with success, Tilted Arc was taken down because it became more of a nuisance to the people of the community than an incorporated part of the city. His article brings up issues of legibility, style, and the memorial’s site. Carchidi also brings up problems of legibility in her article about the Pentagon Memorial. The general public feeling towards Tilted Arc and its removal from its site relates to changing perceptions of the memorial. Similar to Matsuda’s point about the Vendome Column, this unsuccessful structure’s moment of destruction is just as important as its creation. Memorials have to stay relevant in order to ensure that they are not forgotten or destroyed.
Hutton, Patrick H. History as an Art of Memory. Hanover: University Press of New England, 1993.
- Hutton writes about the parallels between individual memory and collective memory, and how memory relates to our understanding and reflection of history. The relationship between memory and history, and the individual versus the collective, is a concept that other authors, such as Matsuda and Young, have discussed as well. Memorials can serve as objects on which to base these discussions, since they deal with both individual and communal concerns as well as history and remembrance.
Matsuda, Matt K. The Memory of the Modern. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
- Matsuda discusses the fluid nature of memory and its history. He is interested in not only memory, but how it relates to the present, since the present is constantly shifting as well. In his chapter entitled, “Monuments: Idols of the Emperor,” he writes about the destruction of the Place Vendome Column of Napoleon. The monument itself had become a representation of the French government, and taking it down reflected a creation of a new history and memory. This brings up an interesting point about how not only the inauguration, but the possible disassembling of the monument, are important moments in history and in creating new memories. This is similar to Young’s ideas about a monument’s ability to create something new for the next generation, because the meaning could change based on political or social circumstances.
Mayo, James M. “War Memorials as Political Memory.” Geographical Review 78:1 (1988): 62-75.
- Mayo discusses war memorials and their important role in communities, which he states is to both honor the dead and caution people from not allowing horrific events to be repeated. Instead of indicating specific war memorials, he forms his argument by categorizing memorials into varying degrees of utility, sacredness, and social purpose. It would be interesting to analyze the 9/11 Memorial from this point of view to see where it fits on a scale of being physically functional to conveying a social idea. Mayo is very interested in the humanitarian message of war memorials. This is a message for future generations more so than the society of the memorial’s initial creation. In this way, he is implying a permanence of meaning, similar to the fixed meaning that Dupre suggests.
Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. “A Space of Loss: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” Journal of Architectural Education 50:3 (2007): 156-71.
- Ochsner discusses Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial and how it effectively evokes memory in its visitors. He refers to the memorial as an object that can connect the visitor to the Vietnam War, linking the past with the present. The major aspect of the memorial that allows visitors to connect to the past it its high capacity of interaction. Many of the physical elements of the memorial actively engage with the visitor, bringing them into a space where they can unconsciously reflect and remember. Young also stresses the importance of visitor interaction because it adds to the memorial’s sense of fluidity in memory and meaning.
Young, James E. At Memory’s Edge. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
- Young writes about Holocaust-related artwork varying from generation to generation due to differences in how the artists learned about the Holocaust. The historical event remains constant, but the knowledge that each artist has about it is different, which reflects in their artwork. In a chapter entitled, “Germany’s Holocaust Memorial Problem – and Mine,” he discusses issues of sensitivity and appropriateness about Berlin’s “Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe.” He writes about the importance of creating a monument that remembers the victims of the Holocaust through the lens of the present time. Whereas Dupre stresses the role of monuments as representing a fixed, past memory, Young argues that monuments are meant to create new memories for future generations. He recalls that during the selection process of the memorial he was against having a fixed remembrance of the Holocaust. He particularly liked the winning design because of its ability to allow each visitor to create their own memory and how it does not force closure on remembering the Holocaust. Both Young and Ochsner see the important role that the continually changing visitor plays in creating new memories and keeping the memorial relevant in meaning, which is something I would like to consider in relation to the 9/11 Memorial.
Marisa Paolillo
Honors Thesis Colloquium
MHC 355
Proposal of Focused Topic
October 2011
Hybrid Spaces in Memorial Architecture
Although memorials require a certain degree of permanence in order to ensure their place in the future, I want to argue that they must also have a sense of transience as a hybrid space. It is through this hybridity that memorial architecture created out of tragedy can provide effective spaces of remembrance or reflection over long spans of time. Both the visual aspects and the role of memory in these spaces help contribute to this play between permanence and fluidity.
These kinds of memorials create unique hybrid spaces. Similar to the concept of a hybrid identity, in which things are constantly shifting based on the individual’s personal standing within the world, I would like to explore how hybrid spaces have their own fluidity. Visitors from different generations construct their own memories and history, so the meaning of the memorial is constantly shifting. I want to explore how the 9/11 Memorial acts as a hybrid space for the viewer and the community in general.
I plan to investigate how this hybridity is key in creating effective tragedy memorials, which allow visitors to reflect upon events and remember the deceased. These memorials can be hybrid spaces in several ways. They are at once perceived by the public as a whole and also by individuals who bring their own pieces of memory to the memorial. These spaces are also both a part of the city as well as distinct areas that are disconnected from the environment around them, through physical or noise barriers. Memorials also have a dual nature in the way that they are both permanent structures and subject to change with shifting memories.
The nature of memory is also in flux, like the memorial spaces. Memory is subjective, but it is also “an object appropriated and politicized.”[1] The 9/11 Memorial will serve as a case study of how both memory and form shape memorial spaces. In part with the research into other memorials that I will be conducting, I am also going to visit the 9/11 Memorial in order to provide my own firsthand account. I will be interviewing visitors to the memorial, and possibly memorial architects. I plan to look into other memorials as historical background and a basis off of which to compare the 9/11 Memorial. Understanding the nature of memorial architecture in terms of a hybrid space can help people appreciate how memorials function as symbols of community and history.
The New York Times Article “On a Haunted Shore, a Struggle to Let Go,” examines the healing process of loss from 9/11. It gives insight into how people feel on the tenth anniversary, and reveals what the families of the deceased are doing to cope with loss and to move on. These associations with memory are important in my overall understanding and approach to exploring the 9/11 Memorial.
Other memorials that I plan on investigating during my research are the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial in Washington DC, Holocaust memorials in Germany and the US, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, and other 9/11 Memorials throughout the country. Many of the articles or books that I have read about these memorials deal with issues of perception, durability, and effectiveness. I plan to utilize art history scholarly articles, such as Jeffrey Karl Ochsner’s “A Space of Loss: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” Edward Winters’ “Art, architecture and their public,” and Victoria Carchidi’s “Struggling with terror: the Pentagon memorial” to formulate an approach to writing about the 9/11 Memorial.
In the book At Memory’s Edge, James Edward Young discusses how Holocaust-related artwork changes as new generations get further disconnected from actual events. How the artist learns about a particular tragic event, whether it’s the Holocaust or 9/11, affects the way that the art or space will be produced. Being removed by time from a certain event does not diminish the works importance or value, but this emphasizes the fluidity of memory and the subjectivity of remembrance about certain events.
Yet some people believe that what is most important is the memorial’s initial position in time. Judith Dupre, in her book Monuments, writes that “monuments are about resolution, the outward sign that finally all has been said and done.”[2] However, if memorials are analyzed as a hybrid spaces, then there are certainly more things to be said. The monument may represent the feelings of the time of the construction, but it must also anticipate how people will react to it years from now.
As opposed to other memorials that have existed for decades, writing about this memorial has certain limitations because it is so new. I cannot completely predict how people will respond to it in the future, but I can speculate based on the response to other memorials how the 9/11 Memorial may be perceived by viewers hundreds of years from now.
Works Cited
Barnard, Anne. “On a Haunted Shore, a Struggle to Let Go.” New York Times, September 11, 2011.
Carchidi, Victoria. “Struggling with terror: the Pentagon memorial.” Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Lanscapes 30:3 (2010): 193-207.
Dupre, Judith. Monuments. New York: Random House, 2007.
Matsuda, Matt K. The Memory of the Modern. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. “A Space of Loss: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” Journal of Architectural Education 50:3 (2007): 156-71.
Winters, Edward. “Art, architecture and their public.” The Journal of Architecture 7 (2002): 383-90.
Young, James Edward. At Memory’s Edge. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
[1] Matt K Matsuda, The Memory of the Modern (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), 6.
[2] Judith Dupre, Monuments (New York: Random House, 2007), Foreword.
Autobiographical Statement
September 2011
I didn’t always know that I would major in art history in college. I was more drawn to math and science in high school. However, I have loved art ever since I can remember. I remember taking my first art classes in elementary school and continuing on in middle school, taking art classes every day. In high school I made sure I took painting or ceramics each year even though it was not required.
When I registered for the art history core class at Brooklyn College, I was not expecting to continue with more art history classes. However, I enjoyed it so much that I kept registering for more art history courses, and before I knew it I was majoring in the subject. I love how art history combines concrete facts with endless interpretations that leave so much room for independent thought. It is so interesting how we can study cultures and societies from the artwork that they produce.
Two years ago I interned at the Brooklyn Museum as a Student Guide and really gained a lot of experience talking about art history. Instead of just creating tours in the style of lectures, I was encouraged to create dialogues with my tour members and really listen to what they had to say about the paintings I was talking about. I had the freedom to pick anything in the museum to discuss. The people on my tour were initially reluctant to talk about the paintings in fear that they would say something wrong. But the great part about starting a discussion about art history is that there are so many questions to ask and so many comments to make that it is hard to be wrong.
Growing up in New York City, I was always fascinated by the architecture in the city. However, I never actually studied the history of architecture until college. Unlike other forms of art, like painting and sculpture, architecture is something that we interact with every day.
Having the chance to travel around the world has also heightened my interest for the history of architecture. In January of 2009 I studied abroad in Florence and took an Italian Renaissance course. What struck me the most were the carefully planned layouts of the private buildings and the enormous grandeur of the public buildings. This past summer I studied French in Paris, and I was overwhelmed by the architecture there. Wandering through Charles Garnier’s Opera House, I could easily imagine the important role that the structure had for initiating social interactions. Architecture has an enormous power over people, by controlling the mood of a space and the paths that people take.
Last year in my Visual Culture Studies class, I wrote a paper on a teacup owned by my family. I focused on the exchange of ideas and goods between Asia and Europe that had eventually lead up to this hybrid teacup, containing elements of both Chinese and European pottery designs. I ended my paper by bringing it into the present day and how here in America, I can draw connections between Chinese and European traditions in my own life because of my family background. I am interested in the relationship between the West and East and how that relates to present day America.
I am interested in relating these ideas to the way that people view and interact with the architecture around them. Specifically, I want to explore how architecture and planned public spaces can create different moods among visitors. My History of Urban Planning and Development class last semester opened my eyes to thinking about open spaces as architecture as well. How do spaces reflect and bring about meaning to their respective cultures? Why do people visit memorial sites and how do these memorials help them cope with their emotions? How do design contests for memorials contribute to a sense of national pride and community?
I’m hoping to connect with my readers by being as clear as I can about my topic and analysis. I’m not expecting everyone to know all the background information that there is to know about my topic, so I will have to make sure that everything is understandable and relatable. Yet at the same time I expect my audience to be well informed and educated about certain historical facts and events, so I will do my best not to bore them with unnecessary information. Once I’m done with my research I will have hopefully helped my readers perceive their environment and surrounding architecture with a new understanding.
