MEMORIAL TO THE BEREAVED: To Transform through Grief

Abstract

I belong to the generation of Pakistan that was raised up in war, and a generation that has ' -~ eventually desensitized itself to the loss of life. Pakistan has been termed the Most Terror-Hit Nation, as of 2013 according to data released by US National Consortium. Terrorism and the war against it, has resulted in the loss of around 80,000 Pakistani lives including civilians, journalists, civilians killed by drones, Pakistani Security Forces and militants. The nation has always chosen to respond with resilience and high spirits in the face of such persistent tragedies. Unfortunately, this continuous exhibit of strength has resulted in immunity to the loss. Cities, especially military cantonments throughout the country, curate a casual display of tributes to fallen soldiers who lost their lives in the war against terror, in the form of roads and roundabouts being named after them. These tributes fail to tap into the collective memory of terror that has been haunting the citizens of the country for almost a decade. Our monuments and memorials glorify our high spirits. If monuments and memorials have the potential to shape public memory and social identity, then how can these regimented displays of forced patriotism serve as memorials for a collective? It is time for the collective to come to terms with the grief, as a way of registering the loss because it is only after the loss has been accepted as a part of our present, that it can become a past that the future generations can learn from. Architecture should be used as an instrument to help the nation through this transformative stage. The need of the time, therefore, is to provide the nation with a memorial that embodies the essence of both terror and hope in response to terrorism in order for it to be validated as a part of the collective memory. The memorial will employ two metaphors, it will attempt to create a state of constant tension between what is not there (loss) and what is (life). The thesis will not be focusing on debating the invalidation of terrorism or the war against it. It will not take sides on the conflict, but instead approach the issue through the lens of loss of humanity. The project aims to create and provide spaces for people to gather at and to be alone at, spaces for people to grieve and register the loss in their own way. It will be an emotional and psychological retreat for a nation that has lost so many of its own.