WTC Memorial Finalists
World Trade Center Site Memorial CompetitionThe LMDC had some
eyebrow-raising conditions for all the finalists, including:
- "You will not directly or indirectly, publicly or privately, disparage LMDC... or any of LMDC's services, affiliates, or current or former officers, directors, employees... either orally or through any other form of communication."
- "You will keep any confidential information in your possession (including all notes...) in a secure location, and upon termination of your relationship with LMDC or at LMDC's request, you will deliver all copies of the confidential information (including such notes and other documents) to LMDC."
- "LMDC owns all of the confidential information."
- "You will refer all press inquiries to LMDC through Dec. 31, 2005."
- The agreement also includes a broad definition of "confidential information."
Some of the renderings are very pretty. The one titled "Suspending Memory" is remarkably similar to
ours (KSWA)... we shoulda put a big pool of water in ours. Damn.
It's interesting, I don't know how it worked out, but several consultants (model makers, renderers) showed up on multiple entries. I guess the LMDC recommended the same ones, perhaps in the interest of secrecy. dbox, Radii, Screampoint 3d. How would like to have been an employee at dbox for the last month?
I'm looking at the finalists, and it's a shame the
Twin Piers entry was disqualified. That one looked good, shocking, memorable. (He's
suing the LMDC now to have it reconsidered.) I'd say half of the these eight finalists look confused and/or trite. Sure, there's some sour grapes here, but look, there's something terrible about making a 4-acre hole in the ground that no amount of glass or water will make right. Maybe the LMDC will follow the Berlin model and drop these finalists in favor of an invited competition. And maybe by then, Libeskind's claw building-truck ramp-waterfall will be long gone, so architects--many of whom ignored this competition--will be able to give it an honest try. (Do I really have faith in Architects? Eh, better than these eight.)
Actually,
a field of grazing buffalo would be nice.
* Ray, 11/19/2003 11:14:35 AM
