As we remember those lost in tragedies, our grief needs always to be attached to a physical entity. We cling to a piece of clothing, a toy, a photo, and of course a name. We hope that we can share and speak openly about their stories and lives. For something so tragic and horrifying as the holocaust, we cannot relate to those who have lost a loved one, or a family who has people that lived these events. In Amsterdam, a proposal for a memorial dedicated to all lost in the Holocaust without a proper burial or who’s names were never recognized on a grave was announced. Because of Studio Libeskind previously spectacular memorials to those lost in these terrifying times, this memorial has become of great importance to the office. The words “in memoriam” are spelled out in Hebrew across the site. The words themselves lose importance when seen at eye-level, and the names on each brick that make up the lower walls become all that matter. We ask those visiting to pick up a white stone from the few beds in the site and place them under a brick as a recognition to those lost. The object-hood of the memorial no longer exists as an architectural or sculptural element and all that remains is the memories and stories of those lost.

Each of the letters is encased in large mirror finished cladding so that to reflect the surroundings in a disorienting and otherworldly affect. The bricks below are created specifically for this monument in a yellowish hue that is related yet different to the surrounding context of Amsterdam. As you walk through the site, each of the angular walls becomes a floating object below a see of color so that the reflection of each letter evaporates and the context as well resulting in each wall alone as an object. The site is sunken from the road in hopes that the sound will be muffled or diminished, and each of the materials chosen was so that the sound of footsteps and speaking would be reduced. Underneath each letter is a linear light to illuminate the walls and the names, while spotlights from below will also wash the walls with light during nighttime.
The memorial’s main connectivity to Amsterdam through materiality helps to connect, but its starkness and disorienting affects, help to create an otherworldly feeling that hopes to exaggerate the magnitude of the monument.