Memorializing the Present:
An Invitation to the Public
Although it remains to be seen whose opinions will be honored, and how the most innovative and interesting ideas for rebuilding at Ground Zero can be integrated into a feasible design for the site, there is already public art being produced. The far-reaching public conversation about the planning process has local citizens involving themselves in the debate and seeking out avenues to voice their concerns and visions. A body of work, articles, designs, and images have been published, circulated, and continue to be discussed. The controversy and debate sparked by this design opportunity has engendered a critical engagement of the public, and the production of an unconventional kind of public art that should continue to be encouraged.
A tenuous line, between memorializing a current event to appease the most powerful concerned parties, and opening a space for personal and collective consideration, is being drawn out by the planning for Ground Zero. As a form of social healing, a public memorial does not need to begin and end with the construction of an object. A meaningful public memorial lives and breathes in the conversations it sparks, be it in dialogues or internal monologues. We are only at the beginning of this very important process. We should consider how to address the substance of the events on September 11th while giving renewed life to downtown Manhattan. Can we design for excellence in living and in social healing?
The underwhelming response to the six most recent proposals, which were criticized for being too "commercial," indicates that the public wants something more profound, more livable and inviting. The design concerns have only scratched the surface of the deeper issues to be addressed at the site. The present challenge is to construct a public memorial at Ground Zero that is integrated into the overall design of the site, one that leaves room for continued conversation. We are left to wonder how the environment for meaningful conversations will be nourished by the final design.
There is a kind of public art that is essential to the tenability of a physical and abstract public domain. It faces the ongoing challenge to create a supportive environment for critical thinking and an unconventional lens for self-reflection in the public spaces we construct and make available. The livability of global cities in our increasingly complicated age may hinge upon an active and viable democracy, the assertion of a culturally intact future, and the celebration of diverse opinions and lifestyles. The kind of public art that hinges on public engagement may yet create a new context for democratic living and appreciation for the role of an art that stimulates public conversation. Even if consensus has never produced any interesting public art, it is still possible that we may agree to approach our most difficult design question to date from the most open position, and address the concerns of a broad audience. The success of a forward thinking approach to public art may, like the ideal of democracy itself, live and breathe in conversations, small groups, and broad participation in open and seemingly closed debates.
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