Designed as an open wound, the Parque de la Memoria tries to find an equilibrium between the presence of nature- the natural landscape-and the presence of the city with its infrastructure, recreative uses, architecture and public places. The Monument to the Victims of State Terrorism incorporates the memory of the painful events of the recent Argentinean past, and acts as a instrument of catharsis, as a materialization of memory. The monument is in permanent construction, new victims’ names are continually discovered. The park hosts many other artists’ works. The place occupied by the park was precisely the place where victims were thrown in the Rio de la Plata under the dictatorship. By creating a place of commemoration, contacts, and creativity in this very place, the park wishes to create a new engagement with this difficult past.

Author: Alberto Varas
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Time: 1987- 2007
Factors of Success: Publicness, Collaboration, Education, Identification

Website: av&a, arqs.