ABSTRACT
FromhisJewishMuseuminBerlin,theFelixNussbaumMuseumin
Osnabruck,theImperialWarMuseumoftheNorthinManchester,andnow
thecommissionforthereconstructionoftheWorldTradeCentersite,the
internationallyacclaimedarchitectDanielLibeskindhasestablishedarepu-
tationasanartistwhovisiblyandtangiblygivesbodytowhatisnolonger
therebecauseitisdramaticallyabsent,vanished,andlost.Amasterofarchi-
tecturalcommemoration,Libeskinderectsstructuresthatemergeoutofthe emptinessleftbythousandswhohaveperishedviolently.Absenceisvery muchatangiblephysicalspaceinanarchitectonicstructure,andthisispar-
ticularlytrueinLibeskind'sJewishMuseum:Thestructureistraversedbya
continuousemptyspace,whichvisitorscancrossonlyononeofsixtybridges connectingdifferentpartsoftheexhibitions.Yettherealembodimentof
absencehereisaspace/nonspacethatLibeskindcallsthe"HolocaustVoid,"a naked,cold,andsilentroomlocatedoutsidethemainmuseuminahigh towerwherenoexhibitionsareallowed.Visitorscanactuallyaccessthis space,butmerelytoencounteritsunwelcomingemptiness.Similarly,Libe-
skind'splanforthereconstructionofGroundZeroafterthedramaticevents
onSeptember11,2001,turnstheseventy-foot-deepholeatGroundZero
intothecentralspacearoundwhichthememorialsitewillrise,atragically visiblespaceofabsenceintowhichvisitorswillbeableto"journeydown." Attheheartoftheholethatpreserves,visibleanduntouched,thefoundationsoftheTwinTowers,thearchitectimagines,"amuseumoftheevent, memoryandhope."Atthesametime,throughanelevatedspirethatreaches 1,776feet,thearchitectenvisionsaparalleljourneyupward,ajourneythat symbolizesresistance,rebirth,and"lifevictorious"(DanielLibeskind).
