Even though we've graduated...

Saw this article and thought of all of you and the invisible monuments.

http://gizmodo.com/this-ad-has-a-secret-anti-abuse-message-that-only-kids-493108460?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

CoffeeGrounds4eva

Look guys, people are talking about Andrea's monument!

Looks like they don't know...

NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star

Wish I had thought of this. Recalling 1993, get it?

The Memory of Napoleon

Coming to Terms With the Past

The Vendôme Column

France went through several shifts in power over the course of the 19th century and the history of this column speaks to the concurrent attitude towards the recent history of the country. After the infamous initial revolution, Napoleon took power in a coup d'etat in 1801, declaring himself emperor in 1804. This column was initially created between 1806 and 1810, taking Trajan's Column as precedent. On top of the column stood a statue of Napoleon styled after a Roman Emperor.

Of course, Napoleon's regime came to an end (for good this time) at Waterloo in 1815 and in 1816 with Paris occupied by Allied forces, an effort was made to tear down the gigantic glorification of the man but the column remained. The line of Louis the XVI (the King killed in the initial Revolution) was brought back into power with Louis XVIII and Charles X who promptly took down the statue of Napoleon and melted it down to create a statue to an ancestor. Charles X's successor, Louis-Phillipe (who, for those keeping score ended up settling on a Constitutional Monarchy after the Revolution of 1830 (the one memorialized by the famous DeLacroix painting)) put up another statue of Napoleon atop the column that portrayed him in modern dress, taking the myth of Napoleon down a notch.

Alas, France was really just taste testing a Constitutional Monarchy and decided that it wasn't for them in 1848 and figured they might try out that whole Republic thing again and elected Louis-Napoleon, the Napoleon's nephew. And, for continuity's sake, Louis-Napoleon figured that he knew France really wanted an Empire and promptly only took three years to become dictator of the nation. The memory of his dear uncle was a little bit more important to him probably both due to respect and the fact that he gains credibility from him and precedent on the whole Emperor thing, so the statue that he placed at the top of the Vendôme Column was much more in line with the original in its style.

Come 1871, people in France were ready for change again. Since the initial revolution they had gone from Republic to Empire to Monarchy to Republic to Empire but to really shake things up this time the Paris Commune was formed, the first notable communist experiment. With some animosity towards Napoleons in general, the Vendôme Column was not safe. Gustave Courbet, an amazing artist of the time suggested that the Column should be taken down and rebuilt within the Hôtel des Invalides, a complex dedicated to the military in general with museums as well as the tomb of Napoleon himself. This plan was rejected, possibly because it was too respectful, because the column was torn down.

It was a formal event

The Paris Commune was soon dismantled and those in power decided to reconstruct the column with a replica of the initial statue on top. It was still a credible stance in 1870's France to be in favor of an Emperor like Napoleon before the Third Republic was truly on its feet. Although his plan wasn't chosen, Courbet was picked out as the scapegoat for the destruction of the monument and was supposed to pay for the entire restoration of the column. Unfortunately for France he died before he could pay anything.

The column still stands today in Place Vendôme. Of course, history has made people much more ambivalent towards Napoleon and he is often praised for his superior tactics in battle (except for that whole Russia thing) and respected for being a sort of underdog to bring all of Europe to its knees. It is, however, a great story of coming to terms with the past and cultivating an image to show the world.

Prepared War Memorial by Jiho Won

Jiho Won created the 'memorial' above in 2011 using crystal bricks stacked on top of each other. He uses transparent materials in his work to create new ways of seeing the environment around the pieces. The artist refers to these works as ponds that store old memories. Memories grow and transform like crystals or stalagmites, referenced by the plaster contained within the glass, resembling natural forms, as in the piece below (Transformed Memory, 2012)

Iraq & Afghanistan War Memorial - Boston

This simple yet powerful memorial is placed quietly behind the Old North Church in the North End neighborhood of Boston. No plaque sits near it, it is just as seen below. There is one dog tag for each fallen soldier in the war. It fits well with the spirit of the adjacent Paul Revere Mall.

As far as I can tell, depressingly enough this initial set up was not sufficient to honor all of those who have given their lives so an extra panel awkwardly sits just to the right of the set up above.

The Cult of Paul Revere

Paul Revere - Pride of the North End in Boston, a link they will never forget. The plaque on the left is located on the front of the Old North Church in the heart of the North End of Boston, it reads, "The signal lanterns of Paul Revere displayed in the steeple of this church warned the country of the march of the British troops to Lexington and Concord". The story, made famous by the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, Paul Revere's Ride in 1860 has become arguably one of American stories most shrouded in myth. On the axis between the Old North Church and St. Stephen's Church is the Paul Revere Mall complete with the famous Paul Revere statue.  The plaque below on the right dedicates the space - it reads: "Paul Revere Mall established 1933 from the income of the George Robert White Fund bequeathed to the City of Boston for creating works of public utility and beauty. Dedicated to the enjoyment of the Community and to the memory of those men and women of the North End who helped to make Boston the pride of later generations." From this plaque, it seems that the mall was created as a public works project during the Great Depression - it was not a memorial created on whim because people felt that Paul Revere deserved a mall, rather it was created as a functional place for the community that just so happened to be related in name to a famous man from the area.

                   

As time has passed, the mall has become an impromptu memorial for all those of the West End. The dedication plaque foreshadows this change in meaning perhaps. Paul Revere becomes the example to which all the people of the neighborhood aspire and those who are deemed worthy gain attention. Seeing all of these names might also inspire the people who see it to something noteworthy themselves. 

Memorial for Patrolman Andrew B. Cuneo

Memorial for citizens of the North End who have died in War

One interesting thing to note in the two pictures above is that there are places around the plaques that are meant to hold things. It suggests that the neighborhood chooses to have items like those above around the plaques continuously to honor the memories of those mentioned.

In addition to all of this, Paul Revere's house has been maintained and still stands today not far from the location of the mall.