Members Lucky Posted January 30, 2012 Members Posted January 30, 2012 A design has been chosen to set the work for the new AIDS Memorial Park in New York's Greenwich Village. "Infinite Forest" was chosen as the winning design. Infinite Forest Blogger Andy Towle writes: The competition was launched in November. Joining Michael Arad, the designer of the poignant and provocative 9/11 memorial in the footprint of the former World Trade Center, on the design jury were, among others, the architects Richard Meier and Elizabeth Diller; the landscape architect Ken Smith; the High Line’s co-founder and executive director, Robert Hammond; the choreographer Bill T. Jones; and the novelist and journalist Kurt Andersen. The park is to be built in NYC's West Village opposite the now-shuttered St. Vincent's Hospital on 7th Avenue at Greenwich Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz1kxUg07iF Quote
Guest CharliePS Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 What a great idea, and a perfect location, opposite the hospital site where so many lives ended. It looks beautiful, but is that photo real or a plan? Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 I will never forget that when my friends and I did the march on Washington in 1993 we saw the AIDS quilt for the first time. When we came up from the underground to see the quilt, the very first patch we saw had my name on it. Of course I found that shocking and my friends that it was funny in a not funny kind of way. But I have never forgotten that moment. For some reason at that point, I never considered that it would ever get close to me because I always felt detached from the AIDS epidemic. I never knew anyone who was afflicted either. But seeing that patch that had my same name on it was an eye opener. Sometimes it's the little things that make an impact. I think this park is a great idea and it's in a great location as well. Quote
Guest CharliePS Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 I will never forget that when my friends and I did the march on Washington in 1993 we saw the AIDS quilt for the first time. When we came up from the underground to see the quilt, the very first patch we saw had my name on it. Of course I found that shocking and my friends that it was funny in a not funny kind of way. But I have never forgotten that moment. For some reason at that point, I never considered that it would ever get close to me because I always felt detached from the AIDS epidemic. I never knew anyone who was afflicted either. But seeing that patch that had my same name on it was an eye opener. Sometimes it's the little things that make an impact. I think this park is a great idea and it's in a great location as well. The first time the AIDS quilt was exhibited in NYC was a gut-wrenching experience. As I walked around, I kept encountering the names of old acquaintances whose deaths I wasn't aware of. I broke down completely in front of a panel with the name of a sweet young man from Atlanta with whom I had had an affair when I was in my early twenties. I have only been able to steel myself to see the quilt on one other occasion, when I went with a close friend to see the panel made for his partner. But this park looks like a place that I would find comforting, especially since it doesn't have the names on the walls like the Vietnam Memorial, another experience I found upsetting. Quote
Members Lucky Posted January 30, 2012 Author Members Posted January 30, 2012 Above is just a picture of an artist's rendering. The actual park has yet to be built. Although seeing the names of the dead would not be difficult for me, I agree with you that putting them there seems unnecessary. As it is, the park will honor all victims of the disease, the names known to those who care. In San Francisco, the AIDS Memorial Grove does have many names engraved in the walkway, but they are difficult to read, and so numerous as to deny any one individual the dignity that his name there would seem to require. Best to leave the names to the memories of those visiting the Grove. Quote
Members Lucky Posted January 31, 2012 Author Members Posted January 31, 2012 Not so fast, say the developers. They rejected the proposal announced this morning, indicating no small level of politics being played out here: Rudin Management, the owner of the park in NYC's West Village at the center of a design competition for an AIDS Memorial, rejected the competition's winning design just hours after it was announced today, DNA Info reports: Rudin Management, which won City Planning Commission approval on Jan. 23 for its plans for the former St. Vincent's Hospital site, said it will work with the AIDS Memorial Park coalition, Community Board 2 and locals on plans for the park, but that its current design by landscape architect Rick Parisi will provide its basis. “Our neighborhood park design … allows for a commemoration of both those affected by the AIDS epidemic and of St. Vincent’s Hospital for its 160 years of service to the community and its steadfast commitment to care for those suffering from HIV/AIDS," Rudin CEO and vice chairman Bill Rudin said in a statement. "We stand ready to continue our work with all stakeholders to determine how best to realize these memorial elements as part of the approved park design in a timely manner,” he said. Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz1kzUVGrYj LATER UPDATE: More on the story: UPDATED Quote
Members JKane Posted January 31, 2012 Members Posted January 31, 2012 Was just coming here to post about that. What's the point of having a competition and announcing a winner if you're going to make the politically driven decision you always planned anyway? Quote
Guest FourAces Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 The first time the AIDS quilt was exhibited in NYC was a gut-wrenching experience. As I walked around, I kept encountering the names of old acquaintances whose deaths I wasn't aware of. I broke down completely in front of a panel with the name of a sweet young man from Atlanta with whom I had had an affair when I was in my early twenties. I have only been able to steel myself to see the quilt on one other occasion, when I went with a close friend to see the panel made for his partner. But this park looks like a place that I would find comforting, especially since it doesn't have the names on the walls like the Vietnam Memorial, another experience I found upsetting. I don't hear much about the quilt these days. Does it have a perm location now or still traveling? Quote
