Oklahoma City National Memorial

For this post I thought I'd start showing memorials that I photographed while doing research for my MFA (my thesis is here). I went from Sydney to Tokyo, to the U.S.A. and Canada, Europe and Israel, all on a three-month trip. One of my favourites was this memorial, the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

"The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected." My main problem with this memorial was the inclusivity expressed by the statement above, from the website. I think things have gotten out of hand when those who were "changed forever" are treated the same as those who are killed in this sort of event.

Here is some explanation of the symbolism, again from the website:

Gates of Time
These monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 a.m. – and mark the formal entrances to the Memorial. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days following the bombing.

Reflecting Pool
The pool occupies what was once N.W. Fifth Street. Here, a shallow depth of gently flowing water helps soothe wounds, with calming sounds providing a peaceful setting for quiet thoughts. The placid surface shows the reflection of someone changed forever by their visit to the Memorial.

Field of Empty Chairs
The 168 chairs represent the lives taken on April 19, 1995. They stand in nine rows to represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears the name of someone killed on that floor. Nineteen smaller chairs stand for the children. The field is located on the footprint of the Murrah Building.