| Project: |
Key West Aids Memorial |
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| |
Key West, FL |
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| Client: |
City of Key West |
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| Services provided: |
Competition entry for AIDS Memorial |
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| Year Completed: |
Competition entry - 1996 |
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| Construction Cost: |
Est. $250,000 |
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| |
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The memorial's spiraling cone represents the ever-increasing number of people
affected by the AIDS crisis, the continuing research that will someday eliminate
the virus, and the memories of those who have died as a result of the disease.
On the inside of the cone is a poem by Wallace Stevens hand painted on the white
walls above. The oculus, which is open to the sky, creates a setting for
contemplation and remembrance. Brass numbers in the plaza begin with the date
the virus was first recognized and continue to spiral out to today. The memorial
sits at the edge of a pier that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to
its purpose as a memorial, the conical sculpture alludes to the coral formations
to be found in the waters beyond. At night the memorial is lit from within and
serves as a beacon to those both on shore and those out at sea.
