Summary and response for Arad and Walker, Reflecting Absence Essay

Summary and response for Arad and Walker, Reflecting Absence - Essay Example Two large designated areas will be built, both of which contain pools. These designated areas represent the footprints of the two World Trade Center towers. Deciduous trees will be included throughout the park. The two designated areas also contain a ramp that leads down into the areas. This is intended to have the effect of removing the public from the noise and bustle of the city and create a solemn area. In this area there is also a ribbon of names that is intended to underline the enormity of the tragedy. The names are placed in no particular order as the authors indicate, â€Å"I have found that any arrangement that tries to impose meaning through physical adjacency will cause grief and anguish to people who might be excluded from that process, furthering the sense of loss that they are already suffering† (Arad & Walker, Web). There is a passageway between the two areas that can be used for remembrance. In this area visitors are able to leave candles or artifacts to comme morate the tragedy. There is also a passageway that leads to an underground complex. In this area there is room for lectures, a research library, as well as a museum that includes remnants of the tragedy (twisted steel, a crushed fire engine). Ultimately, the authors indicate that this memorial is intended as a place of remembrance for both the city and the victims of the tragedy. Furthermore, the area is designed to work seamlessly into the urban landscape, as well as working as an area of meditation. When considering the Reflecting Absence memorial I hold a number of conflicting viewpoints on the ultimate efficacy of the project. When considering the aesthetic elements of the memorial it seems that the architects have done an excellent job of creating a subtle and meditative atmosphere. For example, the two pools operating to commemorate the fallen towers are effective elements. Similarly, the water inside the designated areas and the deciduous trees outlining the memorial are