2022 | Point State Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Instructor: Lifeng Lin
Instructor: Lifeng Lin
On October 27, 2018, an antisemitic terrorist attack took place at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill District of Pittsburgh. A total of eleven people lost their lives in this event. To bring grief and empowerment to Pittsburgh’s local community, this project locates itself at point state park which is one of the most public places in Pittsburgh. Its proximity to the traffic intersection will help recall people’s memory and its publicness will help to raise awareness among non-Pittsburgh residents.
The project takes inspiration from violent triggered arts movements throughout history including cubism, abstract expressionism, and futurism. These movements all attempt to respond to trauma and the core is to use innovative and abstract methods to express emotions and provoke thoughts. In the case of this project, the form of the memorial takes an abstract interpretation of the Star of David. The star is broken down into eleven pieces, given the recognition of each descendant's individuality, and then connected back together to form a totality.
As this project strives to bring grief and empowerment to people, it is also important to confront the event and make a statement publicly. The projects used concrete as the main material. The heaviness of the material will give people a solemn and compressed feeling as they walk through the central alley. The form of each building block is created in a way that all its angles are sharp angles. This is to re-enforce the feeling of unease while people are both looking at and walking through the buildings. The entrance of each building is also cut angularly to create an overhang when people are walking in. The interior of the building, in contrast, uses light as its main decoration. The triangular openings at the top of each building block allow light to wash down the walls, empowering visitors who are inside.
