The Vietnam War Memorial was established in 1982 and designed by a woman named Maya Lin. The exhibit, which attracts millions of visitors each year is a tribute to the thousands of lives lost in the Vietnam War between 1959 and 1975. The memorial itself constructed of two black reflective granite walls that are 75 meters in length and 10 feet in height. The granite was imported from India and the names in the wall were etched in Tennessee. The wall features the names of 58, 159 soldiers that were either determined to be killed in action or missing in action (and assumed dead) during the war. The names them selves are listed in chronological order by the day they were reported dead. When the visitors reach the end of the wall chronologically it starts back at the beginning, symbolically representing “a wound that is closed and healing.” Lin also designed for the memorial a bronze statue that is located facing the wall that is titled “The Three Soldiers”, which features three men (one White, one African American and one Hispanic) and placed in such a way as to look as though the men are viewing the wall themselves mourning the loss of their comrades and friends.
During the Vietnam War, Maya Lin was a student at Yale University. The original design she created as an assignment for her Funerary Design Class. This graphic piece of historical art exhibits Lin not only as an artist but also as a reporter, an analyst and an activist.
Any person alive during the time of the Vietnam War, in my opinion has a first hand experience Whether they saw first hand the destruction and the sorrow as a soldier or whether they were here taking care of families or going to school and watching in horror for their friends and family members over seas, every one had their own journey and experience. The wall itself and its encryptions are what I feel makes her a reporter. From the first name to the very last they are listed in a particular order… in the order they were reported dead or missing. The assembly of this list must have required hours and hours of research, reading documents and phone calls in order to make the information available and accurate. This journalistic desire to get the story out to the public (even though it is in a piece of art) shows her talents as a reporter. In my opinion, analysis requires a deep knowledge of the situation and being able to explain it to others both visually and symbolically. Maya Lin’s analysis of the Vietnam War is all over this project, from the over all look to the tiny details.
The wall itself is placed in the ground in a trench of six foot deep to symbolize it being in the space of the dead. From over head looking down, the trench and wall are a scar like marking in the beautifully landscaped land around it which is meant to recognize the scar and hurt it left on so many American hearts. The granite used for the wall was chosen specifically for its reflective glass like properties. Anyone reading the names in the wall can clearly see their own face as well, this is meant to symbolize bringing the past and present together. Her analysis is not only beautiful but continues to bring peace to its viewers, letting them know that they are not alone in their healing process. Lastly as an activist, Maya believed that the creation of this wall would bring some consolation to the surviving soldiers and the families still mourning the loss of their loved ones. She fought controversy and opposition to her project in order to do what she thought was right. She fought not only to help herself but help the entire nation as a whole to have a place dedicated to the soldiers we lost so that their families and friends could come together and mourn and know that their loss is appreciated by our nation. Her battle over adversity in this project to help others makes her an incredible activist.
Maya Lin has created several memorial-type artworks, though none as well known as the Vietnam Memorial. The wall attracts thousands of visitors each year and continues to be a place of healing for those who lost friends and loved one’s in the war.
