Literalism
Bridging the Rift, aka
The Library of Life between Israel and Jordan.
Perhaps the most potent symbol of the site is the 'central spine' that bisects it on what was the actual border between Israel and Jordan before both countries donated the land to create a neutral zone for the research center. All the research buildings will touch on the spine, and 'everyone who walks along it will literally be bridging the rift,' said Abadan.
...
His team and the BTR project's developers envision Ph.D. students from Israel, Jordan and other Middle East countries working side by side with Cornell and Stanford scientists on the most ambitious data-organizing project in the world -- to assemble information on all living systems, starting with those in the Dead Sea region 43 miles north of the facility. Because of the centrality of its mission, the Library of Life will be located in the exact center of the circle, said Abadan. The spiraling tower, which will house the library, will be made up of two encircling arcs that repeat the circular theme of unity and cooperation. Clad with brilliant metal, the tower will shine across the desert.
Hard to say anything negative about such a nice idea, but it just struck me how corny some of the form-making seems.
* Ray, 3/17/2004 10:52:37 AM
