New Memorial

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In our memorial sharing group, we thought of the idea of a school shootings memorial to honor victims of school shootings. We thought it could be a classroom with empty desks and empty shoes on the ground. We thought the memorial should be in a museum, or some other place that's quiet, so that people treat the memorial with respect and it doesn't just become another object. In Postcards from the Trenches Whittick, a historian, says of memorials placed in busy locations "Such sites, busy with frequent traffic, are hardly conducive to quiet contemplation, and after a short time the memorial becomes another familiar object of the busy town centre, and is rarely looked at". In this quote Whittick is describing what happened to war memorials that were placed in busy areas. If the memorial is placed inside a museum it will be treated with the consideration it deserves, even though it will be seen by fewer people. We also thought it would be powerful if the memorial contained short stories written on the desk about victims, not just their names. A little snippet of information about the victim can help and observer visualize the person. This makes the memorial much more powerful. We thought that there can be shoes on the ground of different sizes. This can symbolize the different ages of kids that were affected. The memorial would not only serve to remember the victims, but also to educate people, through the stories and shoes, about school shootings. I believe that this memorial would be powerful if it were built.
Image result for empty school classroom

Comments

  1. LanceSeptember 7, 2019 at 5:03 PM

    This is a creative idea, something that is unique and memorable. These tables and belongings of the deceased being located in a museum is completely different from the usual display that shows just pictures and some items. People visiting can get to know each deceased student more by reading something about them on their desk and not just some writing on a plaque or wall. This not only commemorate them but also brings out sentiments on the readers. I could just imagine how the existing students visiting would feel.

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  2. Ethan LangSeptember 7, 2019 at 9:07 PM

    I love this idea Sohil! I have never really thought of how impactful memorials for these school shootings could be if we designed it in a new and creative way. The empty table and shoes really blew me away, and I'm sure it would have the same affect on the people who visit. I also like the idea of putting actual information of the victim in his or her desk. When I visit memorials I'm always looking to become embraced in the memorial and learn as much as I can, and I believe that this idea would do both those things very well. I'm excited to see the things that can happen with this idea!

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  3. Varun RajeshSeptember 8, 2019 at 6:19 PM

    I truly believe that this is an excellent way to honor the deceased. There contains such powerful symbolism. I like the concept of having personal snippets about each of the people as it provides the visitors more insight into the lives of the lost. I disagree with placing the memorial in a museum as the notion of a museum means that there must be a monetary fee to enter, however the memorial being secluded is the way to go as this is something that is very somber.

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