The design of a project like this Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial is a profoundly difficult undertaking. Where the aim is to create the ideal place for people to reflect on the genocide of the Jews during World War II, there is the potential that the architect's vision will conflict with the expectations of the sanctuary's visitors.
Aaron Malmedal and Kevin Kemner worked to strike a balance between the staggering statistics and the tragic personal scale of the events in Europe. Constructed out onto a wooden pier, a cubic glass pavilion was erected and etched with rows and rows of numbers to represent many of the known lives lost.
For a more intimate atmosphere within the transparent 'ark,' the Atlantic City Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial includes a billowing shroud suspended from the ceiling. It reads the names of many victims and represents a veil over an absent corpse, lost to a horrendous end.
Modern Genocide Remembrance Shrines
The Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial is an Abstract Sanctuary
Trend Themes
1. Memorial Architecture Design - Incorporating innovative and inclusive architectural designs in creating modern day memorials.
2. Transparency in Memorial Design - Increasing the transparency of designs by creating glass-based structures with etched imagery to create memorials.
3. Personalizing Memorial Experiences - Personalizing the memorial experience by adding elements such as suspended shrouds with inscribed names of victims.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture - Creation of modern day memorials requires innovative architectural designs that are both inclusive and personalized.
2. Glass and Etching - The development of transparent structures using glass and further adding etched imagery on to them for the purpose of creating memorials.
3. Sculpture/artwork - Incorporating sculptural and artistic elements into the design of memorials to create a personalized environment for visitors.