GROUNDS OF HOPE MEMORIAL COMPETITION

Grounds of Hope

One of the 10 Winning Entries of the Grounds of hope memorial

The concept of this project is to emit courage and strength that people have during times of difficulty of Covid-19 through a symbolic memorial derived from elements that are important to the U.A.E. The falcon and the “fanoos” lantern are two elements that drive the inspiration for this project.

Falcon Fanoos (lantern)

From derived from the shape of a falcon’s wing Structure mirrored Lanterns (feathers) combined with the structural form (wings)

The falcon is a national symbol that plays a significant role traditionally, as it was used for hunting in the desert as a source of survival. The “fanoos” lantern was used traditionally as well to light up the surrounding which symbolizes hope that would ignite the soul of U.A.E's citizens. The combination of the two provides a strong gesture of optimism and determination prevalent in the U.A.E despite the challenging situations that are endured.

The water in the center of the structure is meant to provide cooling and to represent the division that people had to follow for the safety of the community.

The bent stainless steel rods are longer across each bay towards the back to give an illusion of a soaring wing and height variations.

Three colors for the lanterns are used: dark orange, orange, and yellow that represent encouragement and determination and to give depth to the lanterns.

The structure becomes a central component that illuminates the area where people would go to gain courage and hope.

Physical models: Skin + Bones

This project explores skin as paper and bones as basswood to create various visual abstract forms. It starts with folding Bristol paper in a repetitive, uniform pattern. Later, creating structures with basswood sticks and gluing them to the folding paper to make it stand while taking into consideration different positions and angles. This exercise was given for 3d abstract forms exploration that results in innovative forms and shapes using common and cheap materials.