The Space of Memory - Between Usability and Symbolism

authors Tanja Simonič Korošak, Tomaž Ebenšpanger
project Parish Church Remberance Area in Tišina, Prekmurje, Slovenia
written by Meta Kutin

 

A low sculpture in front of the late Gothic church immediately draws the eye, and invites us to come closer. From a distance, a simple concept and smooth lines of the composition are clearly outlined in the green landscape, yet they remain restrained, they do not resemble a stranger. From a distance, it looks as if the composition wishes to draw attention to a small tree. A heavy concrete bench hovers just above the grassy area, surrounding the tree trunk, emphasizing it in the panorama. It is an inviting area sketched out in the abstract language of architecture. When you come close, approach it, you stop for a moment in the shade, sit, or bend down, and take a sip of water. The plan of the spatial composition achieves a space of memory in such a way that it blurs the distinction between a work of architecture having a usage function, and a work of art that can only have a symbolic function.