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The Gates
of Peace
2005 | Hiroshima
TECHNICAL INFORMATIONS
The "Gates of Peace” monument is located
within the precinct of the site dedicated to the memory of the Hiroshima
catastrophe. It consists of ten nine-metre high arches made of transparent
glass spread over a square of engraved stones.
The 10 gates, placed at intervals along Peace Boulevard, are positioned
to recall the rhythm of architect Kenzo Tange's Memorial situated
just opposite. The symmetric positioning of the gates and of the
existing structure establishes a dialogue between the two monuments
and creates a tension between the two sides of Hiroshima City's
main road, in line with the dome that stigmatises the power of the
bomb.
The “Gates of Peace” memorial implies the notion of
movement, of a crossing, to portray the idea of memory as a continuity,
not as a fixed moment in time.
The graphism created by the repetition of the word "peace"
in forty-nine languages and eighteen alphabets adds to the notion
of continuity. The endless lines round the pillars of the arches
reinforce this image. On the ground, the huge, almost illegible
words give a dimension of timelessness, of infinity to the monument.
Technical Data :
Height of the Gates: 9 metres
Outer width: 2.60 metres
Depth: 1.60 metres.
Length of the Cardoso stone square: 90 metres
Width of the square: 5.30 metres
The graphism is negative on the outer façades of the arches
and positive on the inner framework. Each gate is erected on ten-
to thirty-metre long micro-piles to resist all weather conditions
and earthquakes. Each gate is lit up by 20 powerful projectors built
into the base of the building.
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