RE-DEFINING the MEMORIAL AS a WAY to RE-IMAGINE ACTIVISM By
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THE MEMORIONIZER: RE-DEFINING THE MEMORIAL AS A WAY TO RE-IMAGINE ACTIVISM by DANIELLE N. SCHWARTZ (Under the Direction of Cari Goetcheus) ABSTRACT Recently, a climate of fear and intolerance has come to the fore and is detrimental to our societal well-being. As democratic values have been attacked, there has also been a return to the use of the public landscape as a site of protest and political action. Now, the design of public space and the effectiveness of activist movements have become concerns catapulted to the national stage. Though state- sponsored memorials and monuments contain political value, they have also been sites of institutionalized oppression that are reductivist in nature. On the part of activism, it can be intimidating and exclusionary in practice despite its goals of equality and justice. It is the responsibility of the designer not to be complicit with the status quo. As methods of representation and communication evolve, this thesis aims to show that landscape architects can play a significant role in re-conceptualizing memorial and activist forms. INDEX WORDS: Memorial design, anti-memorial, landscape architecture, activism THE MEMORIONIZER: RE-DEFINING THE MEMORIAL AS A WAY TO RE-IMAGINE ACTIVISM by DANIELLE N. SCHWARTZ B.S.F.C.S., University of Georgia, 2015 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2018 © 2018 Danielle N. Schwartz All Rights Reserved THE MEMORIONIZER: RE-DEFINING THE MEMORIAL AS A WAY TO RE-IMAGINE ACTIVISM by DANIELLE N. SCHWARTZ Major Professor: Cari Goetcheus Committee: David Spooner Betina Kaplan, PhD SueAnne Ware, PhD Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When speaking of his mentor, writer Jedidiah Jenkins said, “Wow, you have thought all of my thoughts, only better, and you’ve tried them out.” That is how I felt when I came across the research of SueAnne Ware. Her practice and writing on anti-memorials has significantly impacted my thinking about the profession of landscape architecture and influenced the development of this thesis. I feel incredibly honored to have had her serve on my committee and challenge the way I think about the confluence of memory, activism, and landscape architecture. I first heard Betina Kaplan speak at a panel discussion on protecting immigrants’ rights in Athens. I was incredibly moved by her words and even more so by her commitment to take action and create resources that support undocumented students in their fight to have equal access to higher education. She has been wonderfully supportive of me in the process of writing this thesis as well as a mentor as I have joined and gotten to know the U-Lead family. I was fortunate enough to have David Spooner as both my studio professor in Cortona last summer and as my reading chair for this thesis. If I ever become a professor, I can only aspire to have his ability to equally inspire and challenge students through such patient, and encouraging guidance. Finally, there are not enough words to express my gratitude for having Cari Goetcheus as my major advisor. She was able to push, restore, challenge, strengthen, and steer me throughout the many ups and downs of this process. I have so much respect for her as an individual, as an educator, and as a mentor. Thank you so much for not only encouraging my rebellious spirit but for guiding it to make this thesis more thoughtful, critical, and open-minded in its inquiry of a complex set of topics. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 2 CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction to Activism ..................................................................................................... 4 Memorialization ................................................................................................................ 15 Takeaways ........................................................................................................................ 22 3 ARTISTIC ACTIVISM ........................................................................................................... 23 The Roles of Art in Social Transformation ....................................................................... 23 A Brief History of Protest Arts ......................................................................................... 25 From Compromising to Challenging: A New Kind of Memorial ..................................... 29 Four Archetypes ................................................................................................................ 36 Takeaways ........................................................................................................................ 40 4 ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................. 41 Lenses ............................................................................................................................... 42 Obstacles Facing Activism and Memorials ...................................................................... 44 Evaluating the Four Archetypes ........................................................................................ 49 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 59 Identifying Qualitative Patterns ........................................................................................ 62 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 65 v 5 CASE STUDY APPLICATION ............................................................................................. 67 Case Study Evaluations .................................................................................................... 69 Outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 86 6 NEW MEMORIAL PARADIGMS ......................................................................................... 89 A Primer ............................................................................................................................ 89 The Framework ................................................................................................................. 91 New Paradigms ................................................................................................................. 94 Reflections: Putting the Paradigms into Practice ............................................................ 100 7 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 107 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................... 111 APPENDICES A Index of Archetype Projects .......................................................................................117 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 2.1: Timeline of Memorial Design .................................................................................................. 22 Image sources: dpautschnig.blogspot.com; kunstkopie.de; thesmileofexperience.com; veteranlegacy.com Graphic by author. Figure 3.1: Timeline of Protest Art ............................................................................................................. 29 Image sources: bigthink.com; bcece.me; nytimes.com; laweekly.com; judychicago.com; widewalls.ch; tlynnfaz.com Graphic by author. Figure 3.2: Timeline of Challenging Memorials......................................................................................... 35 Image sources: theguardian.com; d13.documenta.de; sueanneware.com Graphic by author. Figure 4.1: Chapter Four Methodology ...................................................................................................... 42 Graphic by author. Figure 4.2: Obstacles Facing Activism and Memorials through the Lenses of Process and Project .......... 45 Graphic by author. Figure 4.3: Obstacles Facing Activism and Memorials with Overlay of Democracy and Sustainability ... 47 Graphic by author. Figure 4.4: Annotated Sample of Analysis ................................................................................................. 50 Graphic by author. Figure 4.5.1: Anti-Memorial Example 1 ..................................................................................................... 51 Graphic by author. Figure 4.5.2: Anti-Memorial Example 2 ..................................................................................................... 51 Graphic by author. Figure 4.5.3: Anti-Memorial Example 3 ..................................................................................................... 52 Graphic by author. Figure 4.5.4: Anti-Memorial