Korean War Memorial Park for Civil Victims
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Huaming Wang is a multi-talented artist, designer, and engineer. His artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally. He earned his BFA in China in 2005, and then worked for a few years as an assistant to Prof. Qingyuan Hu, Professor of calligraphy, stone seal carving, and Landscape Design, at Tsinghua University. Wang used his experiences in landscape design to work independently, including helping with surveys for a mining company. Wang then earned his second degree in Construction Engineering from Western Michigan University in 2014, gained experience teaching at the Confucius Institute of Western Michigan University, and received MFA and M. Arch at Kendall College of Art and Design in 2018 and 2019 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Won an Asia Artist Award in ArtPrize 10.
Projects Details
There is a rhythm in life that the clock keeps in lockstep with. Like a conductor its hand smoothly moves throughout the day from sun rise to sun set, while we sleep, and into eternity. This Monument at the Memorial Park represents the hand of the clock. Throughout the day we can see the rhythm via its shadow on the 3.5-Meter-high Memorial Wall. The shadow is the messenger; a reminder that we are being guided by time. Here at the Memorial Park, time invites us in and takes us on a journey with her memories, pain, cries, tears, and joy into the past, present, and future for remembrance, reverence, education, forgiving, healing, and love. The monument is 70 Meters in height representing the number of years since the Korean Civil War. It also serves as a vertical link between earth and sky. It was a conscious decision to not put it on a pedestal, so as to deepen its direct connection to the earth. Its semi-reflective material will capture the color of the sky and as it gets higher and narrower it will merge and become one with the atmosphere. The Memorial Wall and shape is inspired by the June Solstice; combined with black granite it makes for strong, deep thinking and is symbolic of eternity and infinity. The mountainside stages overlooking the exterior excavation areas align with the March and September Equinox’s. The connection between the Memorial Hall and Memorial Wall is emphasized by mirroring the shape of the Memorial Wall, which becomes the building. The shape of our whole project is the representation of the yin yang ( )philosophy. The Memorial Park, Exterior Excavations, Plaza, and Monument are exposed in the sunshine and the building and Interior Excavation area are in the shadow; the two sides eventually merge together in the center and at the Monument.
