This.Moment= is a conceptual design proposal for an interactive monument to this moment. Our project is founded on the notion that the purpose of a memorial is to monitor, remind and warn. This project intends to produce a continuously adaptive and evolving memorial/monument capable of establishing a dialogue between historic facts/events and the indeterminable changes in the places, events and perceptions of the global community. It simultaneously charts global historic memory and momentary events, crafting a cohesive, immersive experience of this moment. The source data, the production language and the evolving spaces transcend the typologies of memorials and move toward new forms of communication and expression. It is intended that one loses a sense of “place” and instead becomes a participatory witness of a global space.

This present moment is utilized to frame past moments, and the memorial constructs a unique perspective of history defined by the priorities and import of this moment. This.Moment= contextualizes the past, revealing patterns, forms and trends in our behavior and actions. As well, it constructs an awareness of the import of this moment as a unique and valuable point in history––it celebrates both the everyday and the extraordinary moments.

The memorial is structured to articulate textual data of a particular moment (vertically) and to reference time (horizontally). The panels rotate to confront the body, reinforcing the sentiment that the information lies irrelevant until a body is present to receive it. Without a body present, the panels open to invite in nature, waiting for the body to bring with it a connection to technology.

This installation is a half-scale mockup of 4 sections of the full structure. The panels presented here demonstrate the process and larger vision in diagrams and renderings.With ideas and concepts coming from multiple disciplines, this project stands at the intersection  of art, design, architecture, technology and history. The project was initiated by Thom Long and Ben Yellin, and now includes a design and development team that includes Sophat Sam, Peter Modest, Ramzi Nakhleh, Sam Powers and Zach Clemente. The creative investigation for this project was funded by Five Colleges, Inc. and the production and course development funding was funded by the DART Program's Course Development Grants.

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