Statement of Purpose:

Any act of war destabilizes the notion of freedom and the values of democracy. Conflict destabilizes the "ideals of humanity" worldwide - so that fear and power disrupt our social fabric. This memorial attempts to open and unite a world thinking in real-time, exploring and celebrating our social and political affiliations, not our differences.

The concept for the National Memorial is to move people from a sense of individual ownership of a commemorative idea, to a wider vision and meaning of the "Act of going to war'. To create this extraordinary symbol, one needs to incorporate the present and ever changing state of mind of the people worldwide, creating a world community of shared values as a part of the memorial design. We propose creating an integrated network of physical and virtual environments, bringing together 'Public Voices' from various parts of the U.S and the world on a common platform.

The overall composition of the memorial engages the site by creating various floating and stable landforms, representing different countries in the world. The landform dominating the site, representing the United States, gains prominence as visitors step on the landform that is balancing on a pivot - thereby exploring the notion of "THRESHOLDS OF STABILITY". Pivotal ups and downs affect the fluctuating relationship of the world community.

In order to create this kind of awareness and expose a world opinion to the public, as a part of the memorial design, we propose to install Opinion Booths in the form of computers in major transit stations throughout the nation and other countries in the world. The booths will filter opinions through a virtual process of database management, forming a complex network capable of inspiring change in people's thinking. These expressions will be seen on the landforms in the site, representing the real-time of the viewers.

By creating a backdrop in flux, the dynamically changing expressions along with the flow of visitors to the site moving in different directions reinforces the fragility of balance. Thereby making it a timeless memorial, reminding us as we embark on the THRESHOLDS OF STABILITY OF THE EVERLASTING VALUES OF FREEDOM.