Tears of the Fallen

Tears of the Fallen is a Studio IV project where the emotion and materiality of a space are the primary focus. It stands as a memorial to the 20 Veterans a day (7,300/year) who take their own lives. 

 

 

 

Six hundred forms stand in formation as water cascades down the stacked ledger stone sides in the morning, giving the space energy, movement, sound, and life.  The stacked ledger stone allows each of the forms to be both uniform in size and shape, yet individual through pattern. 

 

 

 

Throughout the day the water on each form slows to a trickle, dripping down the sides like tears… and then shuts off, representing a suicide. By sunset, all of the forms have fallen silent and the monument now stands silent and lifeless.

 

 

 

The monument is accompanied by a support building that houses a suicide hot line, counseling center, and work place for our Veterans. The suicide hotline is embedded into the ground, a line drawn in the sand stating “no more.” A charred wood facade wraps the counseling center – a material that appears damaged and unusable, yet has actually been made stronger by the flames and is now more resistant to fire, disease, insects, and rotting.