"Empty classroom, winter day" from James Lileks' Americana collection, (top left) Andrew Wyeth's "Wind from the Sea" (top right), Ramp descending toward reflective pool illustration by Michael Arad (center) and Church of Light by Tadao Ando (bottom)
Congratulations to the jury for making the right choice for the World Trade Center memorial, after what was described as a marathon meeting on Monday. The winner is "Reflecting Absence" (above, center) by city designer Michael Arad, whose proposal envisioned
. . . a space that resonates with the feelings of loss and absence that were generated by the death and destruction at the World Trade Center. A pair of reflective pools marks the location of the towers' footprints. The surface of these pools is broken by large voids. These voids can be read as containers of loss, being close by yet inaccessible.
Arad's words, images and animation brought to mind the sacred work of Tadao Ando, especially his Church of the Light and The Water Temple near Osaka, starkly evocative geometrical compositions that mysteriously draw in the light through narrow openings between the walls.
Ground Zero is hallowed ground, and we think "Reflecting Absence" has caught the spirit of the place. The objections of some victims' family members who feel their input was neglected are poignant but misdirected, we think. Our i-mail correspondent this evening said it best: "It reminds me a lot of the Vietnam Wall, which drew similar criticism. When it's a fait accompli, the family members will be soothed."
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