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| Architect designs 9/11 memorial that isn't about sadness |
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| J.D. Mullane, The Associated Press |
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Here's an assignment. Create an uplifting memorial to those killed Sept. 11, 2001.
Impossible? You don't know Liuba Lashchyk, the architect who designed the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield.
Ms. Lashchyk has created a masterpiece. It reflects the tragedy, sure. It names the 2,973 dead. It especially recalls the people from Bucks County killed that day.
But the garden's chief purpose is to celebrate life, a jarring concept, given the magnitude of the calamity.
Ms. Lashchyk pulled it off. It is more light than dark, more garden than granite. Butterflies love the place.
At night it is luminous.
Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Venezuela, Ms. Lashchyk experienced her own tragedy when her mother was murdered. She understands the range of emotions that 9/11 families experienced.
In the Garden of Reflection, she wanted to create a place where a visitor would travel from tragedy to hope to peace along gracefully turned pathways.
"When you experience something tragic, like 9/11, you go through a process. You remember what happened in those dark hours, then you reflect. When you get to the water element [in the garden], it produces healing, water being a symbol of renewal and giving hope for everlasting life," she said.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, she said, she read that Lower Makefield wanted help from the public designing a memorial to the Bucks County victims.
Ms. Lashchyk's idea would be simple but with profound meaning. Twin fountains of water would symbolize the soaring spirit of the victims. The wading pool would be circular, symbolizing eternity.
Amid the natural beauty of old farmland off Woodside Road, the garden would contain stark reminders of Sept. 11, 2001. These begin with a tear-shaped entry court, which displays twisted metal beams from the World Trade Center.
Beyond that, a path leads to a semicircular walk. Here, the names of 2,973 victims are etched in glass. It's visually startling and a powerful emotional experience.
This leads to the water, which is the soul of the memorial. Near the reflecting pool and the twin water sprays is a rail with glass panels, each with a name of a Bucks County victim.
"The circle shape of the pool and the concentric land surrounding it bring to mind everlasting life and, with it, hope. The soothing sound of the flowing waters brings us peace," the architect said.
After that, there is a long promenade along the outer edge of the garden. Seventeen trees represent the county's victims. Nearby, there is something else.
She explained it this way to the people who attended the memorial's dedication: "There are 42 small lights symbolizing the children from Pennsylvania who lost a parent that day and who, in the midst of sorrow, light up our lives and are a source of hope. Life moves on." |
| Photo Credits: Chris Yasinsac ~ Tommy Roche ~ Ellen Saracini ~ Jeff Goldberg ~ Brielle Saracini ~ Michael David ~ Liuba Lashchyk ~ Grace Godshalk ~ Joseph Walker ~ Don George ~ Wendy Brusca ~ Frank Pronesti, Heirloom Studio ~ Courier Times: Jay Crawford, David Planchet, Joe Dixon |
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