T H E  L O O K  O F  S I L E N C E

The massacre in Konryeong Gol is one of the saddest tragic in Korea history. It is a story neglected in silence for 70 years, including massive weigh of historical facts; 1KM tomb called “The longest grave in the world,”.  To recall the painful history we chose ‘the longest tomb’ as a medium and interpreted its prototype with morphology method. 

We designed the area into four long mass divisions representing the medium by the perspective of whom has been put aside and shut silent.

To approach the historical fact, we adopt four ways of condolences to each division; HEARING, FEELING, LOOKING, TOUCHING. Each area recalls effectively the cruel remembrance by the contrast between the excavation sites and each architecture composition.

We planned a place to be coexisting space where the site can be the Memorial Park as well as a public park. The contrasting light & darkness atmosphere formed through the long walls makes possible the living and the dead to connect each other. We aimed that the site become familiar with people’s daily life where they can have condolences while visiting the park.

The beginning part of the park is The Excavation Park. People can hear the sound of the past through mirror canopy at the of excavation.

The Memorial Hall can be represented as a journey to face historical truth. The long mass of the memorial hall is naturally buried in the terrain, creating a solemn atmosphere with a monolithic texture, and illuminating the space of silence with the light of the skylight.

The symbolic gravestones installed at the external memorial park represent all the victims discovered and not yet been discovered. The voice underneath the stone brings us new vision of the following future, breaking 70 years of long silence finally. 

We should no longer conceal history from its painful facts. We tried to pull down the wall surrounded to hide the tragic event and rebuild the wall connected firmly through past to future with the look of silence.