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Memory Bridge
Leicester
2022
Germination
Performance
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Public Art Commission Proposal
Client: Leicester City Council
Design Team: Maetherea (Cristina Morbi, Kristina Chan, Alberto Campagnoli, Aurora Destro)
Location: Leicester, UK
Stage: Design Proposal
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Memory Bridge is conceived for Leicester City Council which invited artists to develop a permanent commemorative public sculpture or artwork providing a legacy for the 50th Anniversary of Ugandan Asian migration to Leicester.
“For us, this work does not represent a memorial, nor a monument. Instead, our aim is to bridge the journey itself: historically, generationally, and visually. Memory bridge is, at its core, a crossroads: between the past and future. It intersects the existing path through an escalating series of pillars. On one side, trees will be planted within them, on the other side creeper species will grow up the rebars. A staircase will bridge these pillars and allow people to walk up into the tree canopy, where it will level off into a viewing platform.”
Re-Constructing and recording memories.
The form itself, the decision to use rebar, represents reconstruction and rebirth. We want to create a work that is “becoming” and “rebuilding,” symbolising the lives of those who left Uganda to rebuild their lives here in the UK. The sculpture grows, shelters and elevates their story. It evolves and involves all who pass through.
The form itself, the decision to use rebar, represents reconstruction and rebirth. We want to create a work that is “becoming” and “rebuilding,” symbolising the lives of those who left Uganda to rebuild their lives here in the UK. The sculpture grows, shelters and elevates their story. It evolves and involves all who pass through.
Botanical Architecture
Ginko Biloba is also referred to as “Autumn Gold” because it turns a vibrant golden yellow during autumn, coinciding with Diwali. Facing west, the platform will let people watch the sunset: a celebration of colour and the promise of a new day. The other side will descend softly into the soil, rooting and grounding us. This story is one of hardship, but also hope. The original path, embedded with stories of the past, allows us to remember, acknowledge, and commemorate. We imprint them into the path in the same way we do our memories. In this way, they do not fade. But there is an intersection too. In leaving one place, we arrive in another. Ending cannot escape beginnings. Because this is also a story of home: of leaving one and to find another. This 50th anniversary is a chance to embrace all sides of the story, celebrating Leicester’s rich history and diversity.
Ginko Biloba is also referred to as “Autumn Gold” because it turns a vibrant golden yellow during autumn, coinciding with Diwali. Facing west, the platform will let people watch the sunset: a celebration of colour and the promise of a new day. The other side will descend softly into the soil, rooting and grounding us. This story is one of hardship, but also hope. The original path, embedded with stories of the past, allows us to remember, acknowledge, and commemorate. We imprint them into the path in the same way we do our memories. In this way, they do not fade. But there is an intersection too. In leaving one place, we arrive in another. Ending cannot escape beginnings. Because this is also a story of home: of leaving one and to find another. This 50th anniversary is a chance to embrace all sides of the story, celebrating Leicester’s rich history and diversity.