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BREXIT MONUMENT
Cut off, lost, scratched off of the flag of the European Union, the star is the unofficial symbol of Brexit. And this symbol, the star, is also what my project is based on. Some say that it is leaving to be forgotten, others that it will shine brighter.
The entire project consists of two practically identical installations, each consisting of exactly 100 poles. This number was intentionally chosen for its political correctness and its symbolism, just like the number of stars on the EU flag.
In the centre of the installation, there is a clock face, that shows the date 29/03/19, the day when Great Britain ceases to be a part of the European Union. The torso is a star surrounded by a dense group of poles, organized in a regular raster, that seems to be emanating out of the star’s center and thus create a type of glow.
The project with its rectangular ground plan and its cubic shape contrasts the surrounding flow of the countryside, which demonstrates its monumental character and visibility from multiple viewpoints, not only from the speeding trains of Eurostar. The characteristics of the materials used in the installation (bright warm brass and cold dark stainless steel) make the message of the project even more comprehensible.
While on one side, above the town of Folkestone, the brass star shines brightly, in Calais it is just the opposite. The bright star in England symbolizes new beginnings, a rebirth, while the dark star in France represents the loss of one of the member states. The star is balanced out by the “glow” (realized in the opposite material) that reminds us, that things can be looked at from various points of view. The project as a whole thus appeals to the future symbiosis of both Great Britain and the European Union as two complementary reciprocal poles.
A large emphasis has been put on the structural simplicity of the design and the preciseness of the materials used. None of the elements of the monument need maintenance, they are easily prefabricated and transported to the site and there is no complex installation needed, they are simply mounted in a concrete base.
status...................................................public architectural competition
location..................................................Folkestone | GB & Calais | FRA
year...........................................................................................................2018
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