On being moved: art, affect and activation in public commemorations of trauma

Abstract

Public memorials are designed to move us, to produce affect as an intrinsic part of the creation of meaning. This paper considers two public artworks commissioned to commemorate lived experiences of trauma. It considers these artworks as ‘encountered signs’ that move and unsettle. Unlike traditional memorials (including those using non-traditional forms) which are designed for mourners left behind, these public artworks commemorate pasts that continue to make themselves felt in the present. I argue that these contemporary public memorials draw on diverse elements to create an ‘interval’ of understanding.

Notes

1. Public artworks are rarely given the same level of critical consideration as those for art exhibited in a gallery setting. For example, this journal regularly includes papers that consider visual or screen art, but articles that critically engage with public artworks are few.

2. My understanding of the VVM owes much to Rodrigo (2009) analysis of its minimalist aesthetic approach. He makes the crucial point that minimalism has been adopted by other memorial designers who have not understood the distinction between minimalism as an aesthetic form and an architectural understanding of minimalism as a lack of decoration.

3. At the time of writing, the Western Australian Museum is being renovated, and the memorial has been removed from the site.