PROJECT
“Tied in Embrace” is a memorial acknowledging the tragedy and persecution of individuals accused of witchcraft. The memorial is located in the Salem Common within the town of Salem. Salem is renowned for its history of the infamous witch trials of the late 17th century. The proposed memorial’s location works in tandem with the nearby Salem Witch Museum, which educates its visitors on the history of the trials. At the center of the common, the memorial resides as a monument and provides a remembrance space for its visitors.
The memorial’s form is abstracted from the gesture of two opposing arms meeting in an embrace. Constructed out of reinforced pigmented concrete, the monument offers a monolithic appearance and solidity that emphasise the permanent impact of these events. The tunnels represent the arms and correlate with our instinct to conform to society and choose a side that is often a biased opinion out of fear, anger or prejudice. The tunnel progressively gets tighter as one continues onward. They follow a path of light along the base of the wall, offering a dim glow within the dark space. As they travel through the tunnel along a trail of stone, it is unclear what lies ahead. All they hear is the crunch and echo of their footsteps. The experience is eerie and obscure, a physical representation of being in the dark, a state of ignorance. However, if one pushes past that, they enter out of the tunnel into an enclosed space bathed in sunlight, providing instant relief. This space is a unifying point, a meeting spot and a physical representation of shedding light on the truth. Here one crosses paths with strangers, and can choose to stand together as one, recognising this as a space symbolising support, understanding and acceptance. The central unified space allows the visitors to stand together in solidarity to remember those lost and reflect on the recurring tragic events that have happened since the witch hunt as a result of ongoing mass hysteria and prejudice.
As visitors exit through the next tunnel, natural light filters in from the end, a symbol of hope, hope that they carry the purpose of this memorial with them. This purpose is a lesson to acknowledge the dangers of hysteria and prejudice. To progress, we must not always give in to fear and ignorance, as this clouds our mind’s true judgement.
SITE
CONCEPT
FLOOR PLAN
LEGEND
1 Existing paths
2 Tunnels
3 Remembrance Space
2 Tunnels
3 Remembrance Space
SECTION
