A couple years ago, I did a research project on the terrors of the Japanese Imperial Army against China during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. I ended up finding the Nanjing Memorial, a Chinese work of architecture built to remember the 300,000 civilians killed during the Rape of Nanjing in 1937. It was truly brutal, and I think that’s made readily apparent with the memorial’s dull but captivating design.
The project, complete with sculpted scenes of the massacre and large signs everywhere, evince the raw emotions felt on the faces of every victim. It is a landmark I’ve personally marked on my bucket list, but even if you aren’t interested in the history of genocide and mass atrocities, there’s lots to learn from this memorial and projects similar to it.
Among the most infamous of genocides is undoubtedly the Holocaust, the event carried out by Hitler throughout World War II. One of the many memorials dedicated to this tragic genocide is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, a project that looks pretty rather standard from the exterior. But, like most museums, the real treasures lay within the building. In this case, the museum includes a massive physical database with the names of millions of documented victims and survivors of the Holocaust. The building also contains a room covered bottom to top with portraits of Holocaust victims.
These memorials, including others not mentioned, do an amazing job at conveying messages through art. By combining first-hand experiences and visual relics, we are able to bring ourselves into a world previously unfathomable just by stepping foot into one of these memorials. In my opinion, the most important part of an architect’s job when dealing with hard subject matters like genocide is creating a representation that accurately and respectfully represents the lives that have been lost through careful planning. The two projects mentioned, especially the Nanjing Memorial, achieve this through the use of color, as grays and browns are highlighted throughout the memorial to show the darkness and tragedy of the massacre. They also employ the use of scale, as exemplified by the fully covered picture room and complete database of victim names in the Holocaust Museum. To a lover of history, these works provide insight on the horrors of the events themselves. To a relative of a victim of the event, these works provide closure and relief knowing that the experiences of their family members were not for nothing.
I highly respect architects who are willing to accept commissions for projects like these. They not only push their own boundaries, but are also under the pressures of millions of families whose lives have been affected by trauma. Through careful technical skills and knowledge coupled with creativity in expression, art can sprout from pain.
Works Cited
“Database of Holocaust Survivor and Victim Names.” Ushmm.org, 2018, www.ushmm.org/remember/resources-holocaust-survivors-victims/database-of-holocaust-survivor-and-victim-names.
Gauss, Daniel. “Remembering the Nanjing Massacre.” Meer, 11 Jan. 2019, www.meer.com/en/48485-remembering-the-nanjing-massacre.
Parrott-Sheffer, Chelsey. “United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Museum, Washington, District of Columbia, United States.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 21 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/United-States-Holocaust-Memorial-Museum.
