a place of remembrance from michael jantzen by michael jantzen jantzen from usa

a place of remembrance

in the end, all we really have left of a loved one after their death is their name and the memories associated with that name. a place of remembrance was designed to honor the life of a person by celebrating their name and the memories associated with their name, through the creation of a new kind of memorial cemetery.
instead of the conventional tombstone, a place of remembrance is literally built with the names of the people who are being honored there. each letter of each name has been extruded from aluminum and is mounted at the ground plane of a large square shaped plaza. each letter of each name is topped off with a translucent cap that is lit-up at night.
the ashes of each person memorialized at a place of remembrance, can be sealed inside of the letters of the names, if the families of those memorialized choose to do so. in addition, if the families of those memorialized choose to allow it, a small code can be attached to each name that could be read by a smart phone, in order to retrieve personal information about the life of that person.
at the center of the square plaza, there is a small contemplation memorial park lined with twelve small trees, which symbolically refer to the twelve months of the year, and to the idea of rebirth and the cycle of life. at the center of the park there is a small water element that consists of twelve small waterspouts that also refer to the twelve months of the year, and to the ever-changing flow of life. the base of the trees and the base of the waterspouts are both illuminated at night.