Beyond Memorial  |  Bushwick 

6' x 1' Purple Reflective Vinyl Wrap, Purple solar light, light pole.
Winter 2021

Common in the aftermath of shootings, a candle memorial follows shortly after the incident. However, once these memorials have taken place, they are often removed. Community members, however, may still have negative perceptions, and residual trauma associated with these areas, leaving these public spaces feeling unsafe and stigmatized. Residents and community leaders are becoming increasingly interested in responding more creatively to these sites of loss.

 

Beyond Memorial is an art, healing, and spatial justice response to these invisible, yet palpable scars left in spaces after violence and loss. My goal for the Beyond Memorial toolkit is to equip community groups, residents, and healers with architectural or spatial exercises to re-imagine healing and its connection to space ranging from trauma to celebration. The project proposal incorporates a mother’s interest in marking the space - specifically the light post with the color purple for example, her son’s favorite color - at the intersection of his passing. The lightpost is a design element that can carry on the candle lit theme to commemorate those lost, but it is also something that cannot be removed. With an additional light filter, It emanates light every night as a reminder of safer passages offering much needed light on a dark street corner and disrupts the existing conditions with a subtle purple glow. A website/QR code placed on the lightpost provides additional information on the life lost, support networks, and advocacy issues related to this cause. This architectural project would ultimately promote one of the most basic human rights, crucial to physical and mental health: the ability to move safely and at peace around one’s home environment.