Terrorism to Monuments 1 Favorite 

Within the topic of terrorism, the idea of loss and memory is always a pervasive idea that cannot be avoided. Within the topic of loss and memory, the idea of monuments is always a pervasive idea that cannot be avoided because they are used to commemorate and remember those that lost their lives to the terrorists. This is true for every country including Spain, and the many monuments that are dedicated to all of the terrorist attacks throughout the country. While the main monuments for terrorist attacks are in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, Atocha Memorial in Madrid is the focus of this project.

Built by Fam Arquitectura Y Urbanismo, March 11 Memorial was dedicated to the victims of the train bombings on that day. The memorial was built on a Blue Room that was protected by a set of double doors that helps protect the atmosphere of the memorial and stops the noise and allows people to reflect on the monument and think about what happened on May 11, 2004. On top of this Blue Room was built the cylinder that holds the plastic with all of the sayings that were sent to Atocha station directly after the bombing. This includes saying of peace after the chaos of the bombing, hope in the space left by loved ones, and support when those that lost someone needed it most. These sayings were printed in a way so that it mimicked a concrete poem; a poem that never ends and that always finds a way to repeat. In this way the sayings also repeat and appear to never end, in the way that the meanings of the sayings will never end and the memory of those lost will also never end. The outside of this monument is made of glass bricks and is completely see-through. It is situated in the middle of a busy roundabout and is also directly outside Atocha station. This means that every pedestrian that enters into the station can see the monument and every time they see it, they can be reminded of the terrorist attack on the 11th of March. In addition to this, the monument can be seen by the large trains leaving the station, also so that the people on the trains can be reminded of what happened to people just like them over 15 years ago. However, this place cannot be used to hold large gatherings in memory of those that died, the second part of this monument is used for that; this part of the monument is in Retiro Parque and it was where the funerals and the anniversaries of the bombings were held so that everyone who wanted to participate would be able to.