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Title
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Maya Lin
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Description
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Maya Lin is a Chinese American artist, architect, and designer born in Athens, Ohio, in 1959. She is best known for public memorials and environmentally-centric installations. Her parents were a ceramist and a poet who were both Chinese immigrants. Her upbringing exposed her to an intellectually stimulating childhood. She got her bachelor's and master's in architecture from Yale University. Her career really took off when, at the age of 21, her memorial design was chosen to become the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (Senie)
Most of Lin’s work examines the memory, as well as the intersection between both natural and constructed environments. She often works with a physical medium that includes stone, earth, glass, and other recycled materials. She likes to utilize these things because she wants to highlight the fragility of the environment around us. Lin likes to use minimalistic aesthetics to try to invoke a more emotional response from the people who are viewing her work. (Senie)
A prime example of this minimalistic approach is her “Vietnam Veterans Memorial”(1982). Her work there has two massive black granite walls with the names of 58,000 soldiers who either went missing or died. The granite is polished to a reflective surface, which creates an effect that allows the viewers to see their own reflections within the names. This is powerful because while you reflect on this, it brings out the fact that if you were alive during this, it could have been you or a loved one who passed. The descending V-shape of the memorial creates a space of contemplation and grief that sits below ground level. The monument takes a controversial political conflict and makes use of it by transforming it into a place of mourning and reflection. Maya Lin’s work bridges the gap between history and remembrance through her powerful yet simple designs. She invites people to reflect in public spaces that transform into spectacular and heartfelt experiences. (Bell)
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Alternative Title
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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Source
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Bell, G. (2019, May 27). Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veteran’s memorial changed how we process war. SURFACE. https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/maya-lin-vietnam-veterans-memorial/#
Craven, J. (2019, July 3). About Maya Lin, architect of the wall. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/maya-lin-architect-sculptor-artist-177862
Senie, H. (2016). Memorials to shattered myths: Vietnam to 9. Oxford University Press.
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Name
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Luke Rader
