Signs of the Past – Material Forms of Memory in Contemporary Public Space

Abstract

Arrangement of public space is one of the oldest and most effective methods a state can use to communicate its message in the process of managing its past. Memory of events important for the community is signaled by particular “labeling” of locations associated with them. Thus a given space becomes in fact a record of consecutive events taking place within it. It is also a place – an arena – where specific rituals of remembrance take place, such as celebrations of historical anniversaries. In this way, public space can serve to promote specific values ​​and social attitudes. The aim of this paper is to analyze the selected ways in which memory can be activated in the public space, across three dimensions. The first such dimension consists in putting up monuments or obelisks, planting trees, placing commemorative plaques in historically significant locations. The second is the care shown for and appropriate spatial development of sites such as cemeteries, collective graves, places of execution, or battlefields. Finally, the third dimension is the naming of objects, streets, parks, squares, plazas, bridges, or public institutions to honor certain historical events and their participants.