Words and images PXP Design Workshop Co.
Editing The Kanto Team
This proposed memorial by PXP Design Workshop is a contemplative space that honors the collective conviction to uphold harmony and renounce violence.
Situated on an open plain, the memorial, a tapering concrete crescent delicately balanced above the sea of grass, symbolizes the fragility of peace and the weight of our responsibility to uphold it. Slender pillars below evoke both strength and vulnerability, reminding visitors of the delicate balance required to maintain a world free from the specter of nuclear devastation.
Approaching the memorial, visitors are greeted by staggered steps leading to a circular reflecting pool carved out of the earth. The crescent casts a protective shadow over the pool, its tapered arms embracing its edges. At the center of the pool is a metallic sphere in serene suspension, accessible only by traversing the water—a symbolic journey representing the conscious choice to immerse oneself in the pursuit of unity.
The sphere, symbolizing an atom left unsplit, contains within it the chaos and destruction that the splitting of its nucleus could unleash. Its presence serves as a stark reminder of the potential devastation wrought by nuclear weapons, yet also embodies the hope that such destructive power can be contained and controlled through collective action and mutual understanding.
As visitors walk through the pool, their reflections blend with the surrounding landscape mirrored in the sphere, a poignant reminder of humanity’s interconnectedness both with itself and the earth.
Earthen textures, solid and liquid features, and circular elements communicate a quiet but persistent call for peace. The memorial invites visitors to choose as a collective a world and a future where the threat of nuclear annihilation is but a distant memory. •
