hyphanein

Tasked with the problem of designing a space that fosters collective memory and unity in an incredibly divided society, we acknowledge not only a disunity in our society, but also an immense lack of understanding. We are a society operating in darkness. Our project is a proposal for Meridian Hill Park, in Washington, DC, a place rich in culture and history. In our initial research of several texts, we came across this word “hyphainein” which is used by Sarah Robinson in her work “Architecture is a Verb.” The word has two meanings, one literal “to weave” and a metaphorical meaning, “to bring to light.” This word was all-encompassing in what we intended to do through our landscape and architectural proposal; we want to both weave together diverse communities, and also illuminate their struggles, their histories, and their concerns in an effort to create a better understanding amongst and across different groups of people. This goal we felt would be best accomplished through the use of storytelling; to build a phenomenal space is to memorialize a necessary story. We believe storytelling is a way to greater understand and empathize with one another with the goal of reconnecting society. We even took into account a non-profit organization, entitled StoryCorps, in designing our proposal for the site. We are proposing a space for them to grow their non-profit and oversee the events and programs that take place in the park. StoryCorps is notable for its program One Small Step; One Small Step is an effort to remind the country of the humanity in all of us, even those with whom we disagree. It is an initiative to bridge political divides, one conversation at a time through the recording of a conversation between two people with opposing political views. With this in mind, we began our design process, one that integrates spaces for storytelling throughout the entirety of the site in both architectural and landscape formations. Our design proposal includes making the entire park accessible for all people through the use of two ramps that weave throughout the park and bring visitors on a journey through the past and present and reframing the existing monuments to become a catalyst for storytelling. How can we propose to unite a community when those with disabilities are excluded by the very architecture we create? This is why we chose to use paths and ramps that connect all four corners of the site and lead occupants on a journey through the past and present.