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Places to Remember – Physical Memorials for Victims of Terrorism
Yesterday the EUCVT hub had a webinar – Places to remember – How to pay tribute collectively and individually?
Thank you AFVT for organizing this powerful and interesting webinar. Our thanks to the speakers: Ms Paloma Pérez Cortijo, Mr Philippe Vansteenkiste, and Mr Jørgen Watne Frydnes – thank you for sharing your experience and expertise with us!
A fundamental question is – Why do people create these memorials/monuments, and why do they wish to remember these horrific tragedies?
Monuments and memorials are objects that commemorate something, usually a person, a group of people or an event. A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of art such as sculptures, statues, fountains and parks.
A monument is defined as any artefact erected by community of individuals to commemorate or to remind future generations of individuals, events, and sacrifices.
The very essence of the monument lies in its relationship between the present and the memory. The famous French writer on architecture and esthetics, Quatremère de Quincy (1755-1849), defined a monument as a sign that evokes events, objects and individuals.Memory lives and it is maintained in communication, since we only remember what we communicate and what we can locate within the social frameworks of memory. Seen that way, monuments are not just works of art and architecture, but they have an active social role in creating and communicating messages of collective memory as well.
Andreas Huyssen is a professor of German Comparative Literature at Columbia University and the author of the article “Monument and Memory in a Postmodern Age,” states that “remembrance as a vital human activity shapes our link to the past, and the ways we remember define us in the present.” Monuments are intentional and purposeful creations designed to provide a bridge to the past, to lives, and to events.
Personal memory is tricky when dealing with the past because individuals remember events differently from one another. Personal memory can always be affected by denial or trauma. Monuments, which are manifestations of collective memory, are a testimony that the collective (community, sate) came to a consensus of why this person or event is so important. When the members of a community create a monument or memorial, they are making a statement about the ideas, values, or individuals they think their society should remember, if not honor.
Regarding physical monuments/memorials there is an argument whether the memorial is impeding or inciting to the public memory, and whether it is better to forget about the event and lives lost or is it better to remember the tragedy and honor those lost with a memorial.
The creation of a memorial often stimulates public debate, because individuals and groups have different views of the events, people, or ideas to be memorialised.
Memorials are important for mankind. We use our collective memories and understanding of people and events and incorporate these into memorials and monuments so that we can stay united as nations to fight against ideologies that threaten our identities.
Online memorials
An online memorial is a virtual space created on the Internet for the purpose of remembering, celebrating, or commemorating those who have died. An online memorial may be a one-page HTML webpage document giving the name of the deceased and a few words of tribute, an extensive information source, or be part of a social media platform where users can add their own words and photos. Online memorials are often created on websites and social media to allow digital access as an alternative to physical memorials which may not be feasible or easily accessible.
Online memorials for public events, such as the one created by the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, also began to appear, allowing a collective response to events causing widespread grief.
Online memorials allow participation in the grieving process from a distance and at any time of the day or night; in the view of some sociologists, such public displays of grief are important for emotional recovery after bereavement. They provide a communications outlet for continued grieving when more formal events have ended. Availability of inexpensive or free online space allows grievers to include extensive content such as stories and discussions. Unlike some other types of memorials, they have little environmental impact. Facebook can give people the opportunity to keep the deceased a part of their lives by posting on their walls during the holidays, birthdays, and other important dates in their lives or the bereaved life.
Many online memorial platforms, as well as individual memorials created on general social media sites and blogs, allow memorials to be built in a collaborative fashion by mourners, who share their expressions of grief in the form of comments or posts.
Social media pages created by people who have later died are sometimes converted into memorial sites. Facebook, for example, provides a process for transforming the profile of a deceased user into a memorial. Family members or friends can report an account to be memorialized upon presentation of proof of death. When the account is memorialized, Facebook removes sensitive information such as contact information and status updates, but still enables friends and family to leave posts on the profile wall in remembrance.
Online memorials are sometimes used to collect In Memoriam donations to charitable or non-profit organizations, to fund medical research, hospices, or community activities and hobbies in which the deceased participated.
In the last 2 years, due to COVID, online memorials proliferated, and allowed people to find an alternative for physical memorials.
We would love to hear about your experience – please share with us!
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