The Last
Nuclear Bomb Memorial

The simple but effective project proposes the insertion of a single circular light trench within a nuclear test crater. It powerfully frames the violence and impact of human testing on earth and nature. At night, the void is shown to glow and highlight the silhouettes of visitors – spectacularly tiny bodies when put in relation to the vastness of the cavity. The jury writes,  “The contrast of the nature growing inside the crater left by the bomb seems like a very interesting metaphor of how life can grow out of something as damaging as a nuclear bomb. An emotional and elegant proposal with well-elaborated images. The idea to create a wild garden in the middle of a crater pit is a powerful concept with a positive message for future generations. A place for commemoration for all communities, human and non-human. The emphasis on new emerging nature hints at the possibility of life after catastrophe – a very clear message with a small amount of intervention.” 

The memorial is proposed at the nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, one of the United States’ most active testing sites in the 1940s and 50s. A simple linear boardwalk stretching over the sea and natural reefs, the memorial occurs largely underwater, placing emphasis on sea life and decentering the human in favor of a holistic view of the environment. According to the jury, “The use of wood and a language of vernacular docks produces a memorial that will be ephemeral on a radioactive timescale, decaying long before other nuclear traces. It is a very interesting concept with beautiful one-line drawings. The idea to create a wooden structure able to support marine life is brilliant. A place to celebrate life in all its forms.”

A linear tunnel of corten steel cuts through the earth, leading visitors from the flat desert and through the center of a nuclear testing site crater. The project presents an experiential pathway into a wound in the earth caused by human experiment. It plays on the sensations one might feel when led from daylight and openness into a condensed and dark space, into the shaded opening of the void, and back out again. The jury writes, “A clear and concise scenographic concept for an emotionally condensed journey. The concept of accessing the crater left by a bomb through a very narrow space that finally converges into a space that is wide open and full of light, is a very interesting metaphor.