Giulia Eleonora Bellon

5. The Memorial to Care 
2023
Oil and pastel on unstretched canvas 
3.5x4.5 ft
 
The creation of memorials that are susceptible to the elements and contain a temporary aspect encourages a more critical and active role in the public’s act of remembrance. The integration of landscape, then, is essential to this new genre of memorial, as nature is inherently ephemeral. This work investigates the notion of permenancy in memorials and offers a new framework for the design of memorial architecture. 
The Memorial to Care consists of rows of rectangular concrete plant beds. The beds’ form is reminiscent of both tombs and gardens - combining symbols of both death and rebirth and growth. The beds are organized in symmetrical rows with enough space in between for people to stand or kneel to work on planting and cultivation. The memorial will consist of five clusters of twelve plant beds, organized in three-by-four rows. The plant beds will be two feet deep, two feet wide, and 6 feet long. Each cluster of beds will be separated from the others by meadow-like perennial planting mixed with native grasses. The plant beds will initially be filled with an array of flowers, vegetables and fruits. However, after the memorial has been opened to the public, the planting and cultivation of the garden will be a community effort out of the designer’s hands.  



©Giulia Bellon 

 

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