Why Did Maya Lin Use Reflective Granite

Maya lin has said that death is a private and personal matter.

Why did maya lin use reflective granite.

Her simple austere design of reflective granite walls listed the names of the dead asking. The name is an abstraction which means more than a picture. Maya lin purposely called for the granite to be shiny. When doing so the viewer can see who they truly are and what they stand for.

This minimal plan was in sharp contrast to the traditional format for a memorial which usually included figurative heroic sculpture. Maya lin is an american architect and sculptor best known for her design of the vietnam veterans memorial in washington d c. V shaped granite wall with each side measuring 247 feet. It was used because that is the smbyle of death and black granite will last for ever.

And its lack of any figurative ornamentation or any embellishment at all save for the. Summary of maya lin. Granite was chosen since it could withstand the tests at the time. Adhering to the competition rules that required the memorial to be apolitical and contain the names of all those confirmed dead and missing in action in the vietnam war lin s design called for the.

Her use of a spare low slung wall to trace the line of the natural landscape became her trademark. Even if she had designed nothing else maya lin s first commission would make her one of the most innovative artists of the 20 th century. Thirty five years ago yale senior maya lin entered the vietnam veterans memorial design competition. Visitors experience a link with the monument by seeing their reflection in the stone.

Edit by blaq laser. Lin s award winning design consisted of a polished black granite v shaped wall inscribed with the names of the approximately 58 000 men and women who were killed or missing in action. Cut into the wall are the names of the more than fifty eight thousand americans dead or missing in the vietnam war. Her vietnam veterans memorial in washington d c a city known for its imposing monuments is now one of the most iconic sights.

Its horizontal orientation submerged into the earth instead of rising vertically. Regarding reflection the use of spotless black granite or water serve as a mirror allowing the viewer to see themselves when they look at the monument. If one stands before it reading the name of the soldiers they could see themselves which is a very emotional experience.