Memory and Justice: www.memoryandjustice.org
Design
Design Concepts for Parque de la Memoria
On July 21, 1996, the City of Buenos Aires passed Law 46, officially establishing the Parque de la Memoria project and creating the first state-funded monument of its kind. This law included a provision for an international sculpture contest whose winners would form the Monument to the Victims of State Terrorism. A commission comprised of city officials, architects, and representatives of human rights organizations solicited submissions, receiving over 660 entries from forty-four countries. A jury selected a total of seventeen entries, and these sculptures are placed at selected sites throughout the park, which was inaugurated on November 7, 2007.
In addition to the sculptures, the park includes the Access Plaza, walls of victims’ names, and landscaped grounds. While many of the Park’s features are on display and open to the public, other parts of the Park are currently under construction.
As Brigitte Sion writes, the park is “a piece of land with paths that can only be appreciated by walking on them. Both the sculptures in the garden and especially the wall of names are meant to be touched, felt through the body. The wish to ‘see and touch’ has been expressed repeatedly by relatives of the Desaparecidos, and these sensory functions gain a symbolic dimension in the case of victims whose bodies have been robbed from the sight and ownership of their dear ones.”
Related Site
References
Parque de la Memoria, official site.
External Link
Sion, Brigitte. 2007. “Affective Memory, Ineffective Functionality: Experiencing Buenos Aires’ Parque de la Memoria.” Hemispheric Institute, 2007.
External Link
About this Article
"Design Concepts for Parque de la Memoria" was posted June 05, 2009 and last updated October 12, 2009.
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Comments
I find that memorialization is a very positive transitional justice technique. After seeing the slideshow of pictures of the Parque de la Memoria in Argentina, I felt that much effort was done to create unity and peace. This monument for the victims of state terrorism combines beautiful sculptures, pictures, a wall of victims’ names and a gorgeous landscape with paths allowing the public to appreciate it.
I was especially touched by the way in which they chose the artists for the project. An international sculpture contest allowed submissions for the memorial and received over 660 entries. The most amazing part is that the entries came from forty-four different countries. To me, this memorial is not only stunning because of the way it looks, but also in the way that it was able to bring people together in an effort to show respect for those involved in tragedy. Although the memorial will not replace the loved ones that were lost or mend the hearts of the victims’ families, Parque de la Memoria promotes togetherness and is a way for the community to show respect and commemorate their struggles in a tasteful way.
– Ashley (Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:21:17 -0500)
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