Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Washington, D.C., U.S. Maya Lin. 1982 C.E. Granite.
The strength of the granite contrasts with softness of the grass and brings a balance to both nature and architecture.
Theme:
Memorial for the Vietnam War
Form:
Large slabs of reflective granite that sinks into the earth; in between Washington Monument and Lincoln memorial - uniting past and present
Function:
To remember those lost in the Vietnam War
Content:
Inscribed w/ more than 58,000 names of servicemen - still adding; reflective surface - names only reality of monument (means more than a picture which is only one moment of their life - name is whole life) - not about politics, but about the people - mirror reality we can see but can't touch (darker and more peaceful)
Context:
Lin wanted to cut open the earth - violence/pain that would heal; experience would help people come to terms w/ deaths of their loved ones; Lin was asian-american - racism/backlash - sculpture adjacent (too abstract) - not as intimate
