Warship : memorial in antithesis

Abstract

This thesis is divided into three distinct yet related parts. The first consists of observations and reflections on some of New York City's many war memorials, ranging from one commemorating the Revolutionary War to one dedicated this past year for the Korean War. What becomes evident within the wide range of memorials, is the degree to which they can be used to gauge the political sentiment and aspirations of previous epochs. In the second section I examine the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum of Patriotism, as a case study of how a contemporary memorial functions within and propagates a particular ideological agenda. This "living" memorial/museum works as a reminder of past threats to nationhood, and of the necessity to retain the state military apparatus to prevent future aggressions. The third section is a design for a war memorial to be located on the Hudson River coast in New York City. The project explores the possibilities for a future memorial, a memorial of resistance. It is intended to create an experience in antithesis to the sentiments of valor, patriotism and militarism glorified in the case study.