Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

What I really loved about this trip was that we were able to fully immerse ourselves in art. Until this point we’ve deeply examined visual art forms such as paintings, sculptures etc. Going to the memorial did have challenges when viewed as an art form. First and foremost it was difficult to view it simply as an art form. Throughout my life I have learned about the Vietnam War and I experienced in my lifetime the horrible events of 9/11. It’s difficult therefore for me to place myself out of that experience and put the memories on a back burner. It seems sacrilegious to say that these memorials are art. However I believe that one of the greatest honors for an artist is to remember those who lost their lives.

What I found amazing was the atmosphere and environment of the memorials. One part that stood out to me particularly was the sound. The sound of the waterfall was shockingly loud at first. It struck me as odd that this was the environment the artist displayed. After a few minutes I understood the “noise” to be a filter. Instead of jarring me it began to calm me and clear my head. I felt myself place myself fully in the moment of the memorial-that is the remembrance of those who lost their lives. I believe therefore that the 9/11 memorial was extremely “successful” in that I personally left there with a deeper understanding of what happened that day. The vietnam memorial tried to use this method as well. The memorial was in a relatively quiet square which created an environment and atmosphere that cleared your mind and focused it on the lives that were lost. It also had a fountain which was unfortunately not in use. Perhaps this was used to command sound to once again clear the visitors’ minds.  One thing I truly understood about memorials was the importance of environment. What a person is totally immersed in is extremely crucial to the success of the art piece and the conveying of the artist’s message. The command of all the senses was truly unique and certainly made this a unique experience of art in NYC.

As soon as I got onto the streets of New York City, I saw one thing everywhere. It was the Freedom Tower and it could be seen in the sky wherever I was that day. It basically followed me as I went towards the memorial and as I left the memorial. It was like a memory that could never be forgotten, a memory that was always just there. The 9/11 memorial was the largest memorial site that I have ever been to. The majority of memorial sites that I have visited ended up being no larger than an average sized living room, and objects were randomly scattered about. The 9/11 memorial was well organized and executed. Everything that was in it had a meaning that could be understood by anyone who ever heard of 9/11. When I walked into the memorial site, from the city streets, I noticed that all the noise of the city just vanished. As soon as you enter the premises of the memorial, the only sound you really hear is the sound of the water flowing into the earth. It created an environment that promoted concentration and serenity. Wherever you looked, you see massive skyscrapers that would only permit you to see the different landmarks in the memorial. Once you got inside the memorial, there was no getting out- unless you physically left the memorial.

You can’t compare the 9/11 memorial to the Vietnam War Memorial. The each provide two completely different atmospheres that cannot work together. The Vietnam memorial promotes a sense of struggle. No sound is lost from the outside world. The lighting was extremely dim due to the two buildings that surround the memorial. The letters on the blocks were extremely tiny. Whoever designed the memorial wanted to make sure that whoever read the memorial would struggle and feel extremely uncomfortable just as the soldiers did during the war.

There isn’t much to say about the memorials that others haven’t already stated. The 9/11 memorial was very moving like what most others already said, while the Vietnam memorial was small and abandoned. Looking at the two memorials and after the discussion we had in class the following friday i began to think back to my english class from high school.

My teacher use to talk about memory’s and how things existed. Such as to the extent that we exist. Seeing the differences between the 9/11 and Vietnam memorial it relates to the discussion my class use to have. The 9/11 memorial is a very tragic thing that occurred a little over a decade ago, while the war in Vietnam happened much longer ago. Slowly however the extent to which the two are remembered is different. Not many people now a day experienced or remember the Vietnam war, but many people remember 9/11. I honestly didn’t know new york had a Vietnam memorial and I had never gone to the 9/11 one. One day in the near future people will not remember experiencing what occurred during the Vietnam war, and in the further future, people will not remember first hand experiences of 9/11.

One day the only thing that will remain will the the documented experiences of 9/11 and Vietnam and no one will know first hand what had actually occurred. Then the highly guarded 9/11 we visited on tuesday will end up looking similar to Vietnam where people seem to be around not very much by choice.

I just noticed my post is very negative so i should add a positive aspect. I did enjoy the memorial very much with how everything in Manhattan was drowned out by the fall of the water. There was a certain amount of peace in just listening to water fall and not have to deal with cars and people around you. Even with the emptiness of the Vietnam memorial, it was made more positive since all of us students were there looking at it, rather than being alone to see it.

The two memorials we visited were structurally very different from one another and, I think, sought to accomplish different goals. The 9/11 Memorial is grand: two huge waterfall pools amongst rows and rows of trees, creating a scenic and pensive atmosphere. The design is in fact titled “Reflecting Absence.” Water is the quintessential symbol of reflection, as it mirrors whatever peers into it. Here, not only do the thousands of tourists try to look into the pools, but the pools also are facing the sky of Manhattan—the city’s towering buildings. I don’t know exactly what that could mean, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that where these two pools are now, the tallest buildings of Manhattan once stood. We see the skyline in the pools’ reflection, but a different skyline than what once was. The pools are serene, but also are quite frankly giant holes in the ground, and I think that there is something melancholy about that. Maybe it reminds us of the destruction that took place, the gaping hole that remains in New York City, in out hearts, in the world. The 9/11 Memorial is a place that induces contemplative thought, self-reflection.

The Vietnam memorial surely also provokes thought, but it does so differently. And, possibly more importantly, it provokes a different kind of thought. Where the 9/11 Memorial was grand and striking, the Vietnam memorial contained nothing more than a modest wall, its site inconspicuous to the average passerby. There was one small round fountain, which if I’m not mistaken was empty when we visited. And if it wasn’t, well clearly it didn’t impact me enough to remember it. The most noticeable part of this memorial was the use of words on the wall, the myriad of letters written by soldiers during the war. It was, to say the least, sad. Most of the letters were pessimistic, reflecting doubts in the country and in humanity. It was the complete opposite of the 9/11 Memorial. Where the 9/11 Memorial used words to remember the fallen, thousands of names encircling the pool in a meditative, symbol-of-life sort of way, the Vietnam memorial used words to exhibit death and hopelessness. They both reflect the respective public opinion of what happened: 9/11 was a unanimous tragedy; we are all essentially affected the same way. The Vietnam War doesn’t have that; there are no undisputed opinions about anything, even (especially) about the morality of our own soldiers. We try to honor the dead, though not without questions on humanity.

The wall was, however, made of glass, which also contains a reflective quality. But the letters printed on that glass steer our contemplation in a certain direction. The 9/11 Memorial was completely full of people, while we were the only ones at the Vietnam Memorial. The juxtaposition of the two memorials in my mind clearly highlights the differences in physical appearance and in meaning. And I think that to some extent, we all will remember the event by how we remember the memorial.

The 9/11 and Vietnam memorial for me achieved different emotion in the way they were structured, the location of the memorial, and what I feel were the designer’s overall goal in the creation on the spaces.

The 9/11 memorial was in my opinion more of a sanctuary and actually a memorial in memory of what happened at that place. All you could hear was the sound of rushing water and see a large open area with trees so it gave more of a peaceful vibe to me. It was a memorial for the living and the dead that were affected by September 11th in my opinion. The symbolism of the two pools/wells I think were tastefully used and gave the structure more oaf a personal meaning to the families of those whose names were written on the ledges. It upset me a little that the memorial was a little like tourist spot for some of the people there, and they didn’t understand the significance of why that memorial had to be created,and for some people the visiting the memorial is almost like visiting a cemetery for them, but regardless I feel despite that it didn’t diminish the effect of the memorial.

The Vietnam memorial was depressing for me. Unlike the 9/11 memorial, I didn’t get a feeling of remembrance  or gratitude for what the soldiers of this war had to endure and their legacy. The Vietnam War itself was not a popular war to say the least, and the troops coming home from Vietnam were not treated kindly by the American public, and even in their memorial I didn’t feel the soldiers were respected. First, the location was far off out of the public eye,and was not taken acre of. The fountain was off,and people were just ignoring the structure. Also what was written on the glass cubes were what I felt to be almost regretful word by the boys/men in this war. Almost all of the phrases taken to place on this memorial were words expressing how frightened they were, or how changed they have become because of Vietnam. In that aspect I think the artist of this memorial was trying to achieve this effect that I had of remote towards the attitude of the soldiers and what they experienced, but I feel like the entire meaning of the memorial was brushed aside because no one wanted to see it.

I found the 9/11 Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial to evoke very different emotions. When walking around the 9/11 Memorial, I was in awe by the beauty of the waterfall and its purpose as well. I’ve been to this memorial before, but I had no idea that the waterfall was meant to reflect the texture of the towers! That was really meaningful and even cool. My elementary school principal’s son, Marc Zeplin A”H, actually passed away on 9/11. Seeing his name at the memorial was so surreal. Even though I was just in kindergarten, I remember that day clearly. But it wasn’t until I was slightly older that I understood the huge loss some of us were forced to endure. Realizing how many names were listed at the memorial, I started becoming a little emotional. These people thought they were heading to work on just a typical Tuesday morning, but instead they were headed to their unanticipated deaths. They each had unique lives and had to lose them  just because they worked in one of two specific buildings in all of New York City.

I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed by the Vietnam Memorial; I just had a different reaction than I did from the 9/11 Memorial. I felt that the Vietnam Memorial did not have the same amount of recognition than that of the 9/11 Memorial. Maybe it’s because we expect soldier casualties from war, but what happened on 9/11 was an unexpected personal attack on our country. As a class, we were the only people visiting and so I felt that it was slightly neglected. But I still loved reading the letters between the soldiers and their families on the wall. It also made me realize the realistic aspects of war. When a soldier chooses to fight, they leave so much behind. They sacrifice so much for such a noble and heroic purpose.

I have so many pictures from both memorials, but for some reason when I try uploading them it keeps saying error and to try again. I’m so upset because I learned how to use panoramic setting on my phone for the first time and it turned out to be so cool! Its fine though because I’ll just show you all in class.

It was kind of disappointing to visit the Vietnam Memorial after seeing the 9/11 one. Please do not get me wrong, it was beautiful and made me just as sad as the 9/11 Memorial, but it was not grand, or majestic, or attention grabbing. However, the Vietnam Memorial had something that the 9/11 Memorial could not give me. It let me see into the minds of the soldiers and almost feel a little fleck of what they felt. It was more personal. I am fortunate enough to say that I did not lose anyone my family knew personally on 9/11, which is perhaps why I could not feel the same loss as some people did at the 9/11 Memorial. However, I saw that loss at the Vietnam Memorial. I saw the loss of humanity and hope in those quotes by those soldiers. There was one quote on the wall the read something like, “Is this all for nothing?” This soldier was doubting his purpose and the use of his life. There were many other, and probably more powerful quotes at the Vietnam Memorial that made me see beyond a name and see a person, not just some name I did not know. Reading the letters from those soldiers made the experience more personal. It made me see inside their minds and thoughts and feelings. Ironically, the Vietnam Memorial pulled me into the art more than the 9/11 Memorial did. It pulled me into all the emotion that comes with war and loss of hope and death. After talking about the Vietnam Memorial with some of the class, I finally understood that the artist wanted the viewer to move around. He/she wanted the viewer to back up to see the large printing and get really close to see the fine printing and walk through the “doorway” or “arch” in the wall. This, again, sucked me into the art. The artist obviously wanted the viewer to look at the wall from different angles and perhaps step back and think about what they just read. Unfortunately, I was too tired to stand and think, so I sat down and thought about the horrible things these men probably saw. I will probably never understand what it means to truly go to war, but reading what these soldiers thought gave me a glimpse. They were probably surrounded by death. I think that this echoes in the location of the Vietnam Memorial. The wall seems to be built between a noisy street and the water. When I was reading what was written on the wall, I could hear neither the noise of the city or the noise of the water.

I really hope I do not offend someone in my review, but the 9/11 Memorial reminded me of everything else in the city, royal, grand, large (in its own way) and callous. The memorial seemed to be made of deep gray metals that were cold. It did draw me in to some extent, but not the way the Vietnam Memorial did. The group of friends I was with for most of the trip did visit both “grounds,” but were not very much pulled into the architecture. I understand that the giant square-shaped holes in the ground are constantly being filled with water, but are never really being filled, and is supposed to represent this massive void that the day left in America’s pride and in the families of those who lost in 9/11, but the memorial did not pull me in emotionally. As I may have mentioned, it was about a list of names of people I did not know, and could not connect with. Something I think that the artist took in consideration when designing the structure is that it is impossible to see the end of the “holes” from around the memorial. I think this is also meant to represent that the void has no end and can never be quenched. I think if I knew someone who lost their life on 9/11, I would have a deeper emotional connection to this memorial. After talking about the memorial with some of the class, I finally understood that the memorial is supposed show the large number of people who lose their lives on 9/11. To some extent, it is about the names. So many people lost their lives on that day. The artist probably wanted the viewer to think about the number of people. People were in the plans, in the buildings, and some lost their lives trying to save others. Something I noticed about the scenery is that the memorials (essentially two giant square holes in the ground) were framed by trees creating another square, around the memorial. I think this was purposely done to frame the 9/11 Memorial, to make it appear as a true work of art. Or maybe this was purposely done to capture the two massive voids the artist created.

Disclaimer: I did take pictures at the memorial, and I know we touched upon this in class, but something I did not say is that (as I’ve mentioned in this review) I am fortunate enough to say I did not lose anyone on 9/11, which is perhaps why I do not fully understand what this memorial means. It acts as a place people can come to for closure and mourning. I will not feel the same loss they felt, but seeing it gave me a sense of what some of those people were feeling and taking a picture of it means capturing the feeling, essentially making it last longer. I am so so so so so sorry if this offended people.

So I’m writing this as I stand in front of the 911 memorial and the minute I look at it I think about standing in the top floor plummeting to my death. The water drops fall and it looks like the light flickering from the windows of the towers. Everything is black like ash covering the air and the rumble of the water sounds like the towers dropping. It’s amazing how all you can hear is the sound of the water. Stop and listen. Really listen. There’s nothing else, but if you look around you’d be surprised to notice you’re still in the city. The water moves more slowly as it goes down and I can’t help but wonder what’s there? Most of the names regardless of who they are are engraved in the same in the same font and text. They are one. People put in American flags and roses in the names I can’t help but think who are these people? Did they try to save us? Will they be forgotten for their deeds? It’s not a square the corners are rounded off.. Why? Making a hexagon type shape. Looking at this water freaks me out and I don’t like the thought of dropping thousands of feet to my or anyone’s death. I’m glad, I’m lucky I don’t have to think about this stuff. My heart and prayers go out to those who do. Some names look cleaner than the rest some are collecting dust. Do they all have visitors? Are they forgotten? I like the idea that their names will be forever engraved. Technically no one will ever be forgotten. Gone, yes, but never forgotten. I saw a tree and it was chained down and I felt sad. It was the last tree left standing in the area.

The Vietnamese memorial is not as populated which makes it feel less important and less moving because for me, it’s about the experience with others too. I don’t have any knowledge about the Vietnamese war really but this memorial I think is more powerful (despite the lack of attention given from tourists) because it’s from actual people who are hurt and impacted. This memorial got the shitty end of the stick though because at this point I’m hungry and tired. The letters are hard to read and my neck is straining yet I’m compelled to read them. I wish this memorial had more people looking at it. I don’t understand why there are doors to go through it though. A person can easily go around. I just noticed I never went around the side of the memorial because of the door! What was on the sides?? Did I miss anything special?! I like how there was a sitting area by the memorial. It was different.

–Farzana Ruzehaji

This is a photo outside my home in the abandoned areas of Staten Island New York

Visiting both the 9/11 and Vietnam Memorial was an interesting experience.  Both Memorials were beautiful to look at and there was something a little otherworldly about being there.  Almost as if ( especially at the 9/11 memorial) people were all having the same thoughts, feelings, and were all understanding of where we were and how serious the atmosphere was.  What I liked most about the 9/11 memorial was the constant running water on the two different levels.  It sounded out the constant noise of the city around us and just gave us time; time not to think or analyze, but, to remember and feel.  On thursday we had a pretty long conversation about how we felt going to these memorials.  And as I was reflecting on my time there, I felt more and more uncomfortable talking about these places as art works.  For example, I saw people taking pictures and, yes, even selfies at the 911 memorial constantly.  Now snapping a quick picture for memory is understandable.  But some people were photographing the whole time trying to capture the beauty of the memorial.  However beautiful it may be, I feel like we forget why this beautiful piece of architecture was built, for remembrance.  There were not to many people at the Vietnam memorial but I’m sure it works just the same.  It’s an interesting idea, making memorials as a work of art… looking at them, as a work of art.

As for the Vietnam Memorial, I did enjoy my time there too.  It was harder for me to emotionally attach myself to this site than it was for the 9/11 memorial.  I guess it has something to do with me having some memory of what happened on 9/11.  Although I couldn’t empathize there was a sense of sympathy because mourning is a universal act, no matter how or where.  One thing I liked about the Vietnam memorial was the two door ways that i could go through to get to the other side.  Again, I think this had something to do with me not being around for why this memorial was put up; and a part of me felt that I was able to walk back to a time where I could understand how these people felt and be there for those who have lost their loved ones, as people did during 9/11.  Maybe a ice quote on the inside of the door ways would have given it that extra touch, regardless the writing on the walls was a good idea.

The memorial trip is one that everyone should make.  It does something to you, that I wish I can explain… No one I  know passed during 9/11 or even experienced it but I was almost brought to tears.  It is a place where people can connect and share their sorry with those who are there for the same reason.  Both these sites are probably the more powerful sites of NYC.