Meadow Sea Memorial

ComPETITION
BOLOGNA SHOAH MEMORIAL
COLLABORATION WITH HA-HA-LAND

Idén bygger på att skapa en omsluten plats av lugn på en annars hektisk och urban plats vid Bolognas tågstation. Två höga granitmurar definierade redan den formella och hårdgjorda triangulära ytan. Minnesplatsens tillägg med sin organiska form utgör en kontrast till detta. Tillsammans med den omgivande ängens ondulerande topografi tillskapas en egen värld, en hortus conclusus, med plats för kontemplation.

“Despite its central location close to the city of Bologna the memorial provides a tranquil place for meditation, reflection and prayer for people passing by. The existing walls and fences create a border between the memorial and its surroundings, making it to its own sacred place, an enclosed garden, a hortus conclusus. The memorial consists of two parts, a vast undulating grass meadow and a small enclosed room. The sweeping grass formation of the meadow resembles the ocean and is in contrast with the adjacent flat paved square.

The experience of the memorial is both monumental and intimate, changing depending on where the visitor stands. Through a narrow passage you reach an intimate room, a haven embedded in the ground in the undulating meadow. Shimmering polished brass walls surround the room, adds warmth to the empty space and mirrors the surroundings. The walls become a prism catching the sun and reflecting it back. When touched by human hands the brass plate will gradually change its color and texture and get a unique hue.“