Situated within Chinguacousy Park, the NEVER AGAIN: The Last Genocide Memorial expresses profound themes of loss and remembrance. It conceptualizes the impact of genocide as a scar on the earth. The design integrates with the park’s existing pathways, promoting easy access and inviting community interaction.

Design Integration

Visitors enter the memorial and begin their journey by walking down a pathway. This gradual descent symbolizes a deeper understanding of collective trauma. As individuals move through the space, they experience a growing emotional weight. The design encourages reflection and contemplation as they connect with the memorial's purpose.

Narrative Panels

Throughout the memorial, panels are engraved with concise histories of significant atrocities. These narratives are drawn from the experiences shared by community members and historians. Each panel invites visitors to pause and engage with stories of violence and loss. This engagement reaches its peak at the lowest point of the memorial, surrounded by an abyss that is not accessible. This feature effectively emphasizes the depth of loss associated with genocide.

Core Message

The main wall of the memorial carries an important message for all who visit. The words NEVER AGAIN stand out prominently, reminding everyone of the shared responsibility to remember and to prevent future atrocities. This message is central to the memorial's design, encouraging visitors to deeply consider the historical narratives it represents.

Material Choices

The memorial is built with a concrete foundation and finished with black granite. The concrete provides stability and support, while the black granite offers a serious tone. These material choices match the solemn nature of the memorial and enhance the overall experience of those who walk through the space.

At the heart of the memorial, the deep abyss encourages visitors to stop and reflect, reinforcing the importance of collective memory and the weight of loss that persists over time.