Class size limited to twelve individuals.

The notion that a memorial is a solid, permanent, monumental structure and that it is directed solely toward remembrance and commemorative function should be questioned. The word "memorial" corresponds to "commemoration," which is "something that serves to preserve memory or knowledge of an individual or event," but it also corresponds to the word "memento," which is "something that serves to warn or remind with regard to conduct or future events."  In this way a memorial may provide a connection between the present, past, and future.
Is it possible to conceive a memorial that would focus on that warning present as the key element that triggers our thinking of both the past and of the future? Could such a focus on the present have a practical, proactive character, by engaging the living in transformative projects towards the future in hopes of freeing it from he repetition of tragic reenactments of the past?
One assumes that the desirable form of democracy is the "agonistic" one, based on the contest of antagonistic voices, opinions, and demands. Could the memorial contribute to this democracy as a generative project for agonistic memory, inspiring the contest of memories that do not need to agree with each other and do not serve as consolidation of community legitimation around the uniform notion of victimhood identity?
The assumption underlying this course is that the memorial may be non-permanent, non-sculptural, non-spatial, and not site-specific. It could be a critical complement, a temporary alteration of the existing and the historical memorial. It could be an act or a process of a performance that continues over a longer or shorter time period, involving one or many participants, occupying a smaller or larger territory, staying within one boundary or crossing boundaries.  It could be multi-media architectural or non-architectural installation in the so-called public or so-called private space.  It could be exclusively or inclusively Internet based.  It could be portable, wearable, or stationary equipment involving prerecorded or live transmission and communication. In its cultural and psychological program and interactive demands, the alternative memorial could become a challenge to most advanced communication technologies. The workshop will combine readings, presentations, discussions, and projects.  Exceptionally, the projects may take the form of critical/theoretical research, focusing on the existing examples of contemporary memorials, but the emphasis will be on new proposals. As a point of departure, we will look closely at examples of commemorative sites in the Boston area. Collective projects could also be considered. Teams might be composed of students with different skills: for example, one might do theoretical/critical work, another historical research, and another design work.