What If: War Memorial

         In class we watched a documentary of Mia Lin, the designer of the Vietnam memorial and the Civil Rights memorial. This was extremely inspirational because I never realized exactly how much thought is put into each of these war memorials. Going through Mia Lin's life just before visiting the memorial site to plan it, she does months of research and discovers so much about the war itself or the Civil Rights Movement.
       After watching this documentary, I discovered that there is so much more involved in a memorial than a simple statue, wall, or building with names listed on it. When I visited the Vietnam War Memorial 4 years ago I didn't think much effort went into it because of how simple it was. However, if I were informed of the work and thought process behind this wall that came from Maya Lin, I probably would have had a deeper experience. However, being 13 years old, I don't think I would have understood much anyways.
          Watching this really makes me think of the question: What if I were to design a memorial for something? Would I be able to get a good enough understanding of an event such as war to create something this intense. In a way, this is what the 21st century project is challenging us to do: Use our creative side to make a representation of something great. I think that I would be able to make something meaningful, but to be in the same mindset as Maya Lin would be nearly impossible for someone of my level of education because of everything I have yet to experience.