memorial archives

When Rob Foster, Todd Ericksen and I went to Washington DC to attend a Tufte Conference we made a point to stop by the Vietnam Vetrans Memorial . It was just after twighlight and there were only soft lights illuminating the memorial. The dim lighting set the mood and invited you to look harder to see the detail of the names. You couldn’t help but to find yourself touching the stone and feeling the names of the fallen as you walked along side the memorial. We went to several other monuments and memorials and heard tourists chattering and even yelling, and then to come to this one and hear only the wind in the trees was a very spiritual experience. You were compelled to whisper and show reverence for the hallowed ground on which you walked. As close to the feeling of the temple as I have felt outside of those walls.

This memory was brought about by a link from Cameron to the Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial A great way to interact with the wall and see the actual names if you aren’t able to see them in person. The ability to add photos and stories to each name is another great method of making it a very personal experience.

(Art is “Vietnam Reflections” by Lee Teter)

posted by aaron on Monday, Mar 31, 2008