"Waterlicht'"by Studio Roosegaarde is a virtual flood that uses LED technology, software, and lenses to produce wavy rays of light. The installation shows how high water could reach if humans continue to ignore sea level rise.
Flickr user Yann Caradec, courtesy Van Alen Institute "Waterlicht'"by Studio Roosegaarde is a virtual flood that uses LED technology, software, and lenses to produce wavy rays of light. The installation shows how high water could reach if humans continue to ignore sea level rise.

A new design competition called “Memorials for the Future," launched by the National Parks Service (NPS), National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), and Van Alen Institute, wants to reevaluate memorials. The program aims to generate new ideas about how Washington, D.C., honors the country’s diverse history, heritage, and culture. The competition was originally announced back in Oct., 2015, at the White House to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Challenge.gov—a federally incentivized program that promotes prize and challenge competitions.

A long-established practice behind memorials is to commemorate past events. However, because the backgrounds and audiences surrounding typically permanent memorials are constantly changing, the organizations behind this program believe these structures should do so in a more ephemeral way, and be able to not just look back at history but also forward, according to the press release published by the Van Alen Institute.

Submitters have been tasked to envision how their proposals will be woven into public spaces near the National Mall within the rapidly changing urban fabric of Washington, D.C.

Three finalists, selected by an 11-person jury, will each receive a $15,000 stipend for research and design, to be announced this summer. A winner will be announced in the fall, along with the published competition results, both of which are set to be presented at an exhibition in Washington, D.C., helping both NPS and NCPC to determine future competitions. The Van Alen Institute, a New York-based nonprofit that organizes and promotes public programs for design and research related to urban areas, will then lead the development of the final design outcomes for the project.

To be eligible, the teams must include one designer, who should either be an architect, landscape architect, urban designer, planner, or artist. Teams are encouraged to include a member with a knack or expertise in storytelling, commemoration, or social sciences.

The registration deadline and final electronic submission for concepts is May 4, at 11:59 pm EDT.

Marta Minujin’s "El Partenon de libros" or The Parthenon of Books in English, was made in 1983 with over 25,000 books, taken from cellars where they had been locked up by the military. The books covered a scale replica of the Parthenon edifice, built out of metal tubes in a public square in the southern part of Buenos Aires.
Marta Minujin and Henrique Faria, via Van Alen Institute Marta Minujin’s "El Partenon de libros" or The Parthenon of Books in English, was made in 1983 with over 25,000 books, taken from cellars where they had been locked up by the military. The books covered a scale replica of the Parthenon edifice, built out of metal tubes in a public square in the southern part of Buenos Aires.
Janet Echelman’s sculpture "1.8" refers to the length of time in microseconds that the earth’s day was shortened as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that emanated from Japan. The work is composed of layers of fiber, braided and knotted together in vibrant hues that pulse with changing wind and weather to create a choreography of undulating color.
Ema Peter Janet Echelman’s sculpture "1.8" refers to the length of time in microseconds that the earth’s day was shortened as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that emanated from Japan. The work is composed of layers of fiber, braided and knotted together in vibrant hues that pulse with changing wind and weather to create a choreography of undulating color.
For her work "Minimum Monument," Nele Azevedo arranged 5,000 melting ice figurines on the steps of Chamberlain Square in Birmingham, UK. The miniature human shapes represented the often forgotten civilian deaths as a result of World War I.
Flickr user Steven Eggleton, via Van Alen Institute For her work "Minimum Monument," Nele Azevedo arranged 5,000 melting ice figurines on the steps of Chamberlain Square in Birmingham, UK. The miniature human shapes represented the often forgotten civilian deaths as a result of World War I.