As part of our Dezeen x Phaidon collaboration, we teamed up with the publisher to host a live talk with Spencer Bailey, David Adjaye and Michael Bierut about the significance of memorials in the 21st century.
Moderated by Bailey, Phaidon's editor at large, the talk looked at the topic of his new book, In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials, which explores and tracks the changing expression of memorial design.
The book includes more than 60 memorials from the past 40 years designed by architects including Adjaye, Tadao Ando, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Peter Eisenman, Daniel Libeskind, Snøhetta, and Peter Zumthor.
Spencer Bailey's new book In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials
"Memorials hold a special position in the cultural memory of communities, cultures and nations," Phaidon told Dezeen. "They recognise hardship and sacrifice, as well as commemorate some of the most destructive and painful events in history." "Over the past several decades, beginning with Maya Lin?s Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982) in Washington DC, these complex and occasionally contradictory sites have become increasingly spatial and abstract, moving away from figurative monumentalisation," the publisher explained.
The panel explored the relevance of memorials in the 21st century, discussed the emergence of abstract expression in memorial design and question why the contemporary approach to creating memorials achieves an emotional power and signifi...