Figure 10 - Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery , Nantes , France , Image : Philippe Ruault | Courtesy : Wodiczko + Bonder )
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National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa , Canada
Wodiczko + Bonder
This proposal proceeds through two fundamental , complementary gestures : exposure and immersion , which together create a layered , in-depth experience through which visitors discover and interpret both the history of the Holocaust and the memory of events which drove its survivors to Canadian shores . In this Working Monument , we literally propose to excavate the totality of the site to expose the limestone bedrock – found about three to four meters below the surface – thus creating a meaningful space below the level of the city , but open to the sky , in order to anchor new meanings , stories , and memories , in which visitors will find themselves immersed . Conceptually and formally , the project proposes : to reveal the bedrock beneath the surface ; to provide a rich new soil inserted into the bedrock , and to plant groves of Aspen trees as symbolic reference to the cultivation of new life and memory ; to provide a spatial experience of walking along ramps , downward , along and around the bedrock and the grove of trees ; to visit the hall of names ; and listen and watch the ‘ eternal flame ’ animated by especially recorded voices of the Holocaust survivors .
As an active and responsive public space , the project will include in its programming , narrative , and mission a strong connection to world events in the present . Rather than seeking to fix a particular memory in perpetuity , this monument will seek to respond to every generation ’ s need and will to remember . We hope visitors to the monument to be changed inwardly by their visit , just as the national Canadian landscape will be changed outwardly by the monument . overview
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