Open-Air Peace Chapel 1989

Maya Lin made her Open-Air Peace Chapel with stone, placing each block to form a contemplative circle in a field. The individual stones have such a weighty, grounded presence, and yet together they create a sense of openness. You can imagine the labor involved, lifting and placing each stone, building the form incrementally. Think about how the texture of the stone contrasts with the softness of the surrounding landscape – it's a dialogue between the man-made and the natural. The gaps between the stones are as important as the stones themselves. They allow the wind to pass through, and offer a glimpse of the world beyond. Lin’s other memorial works, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also create a powerful sense of place. You might also see echoes of land artists like Andy Goldsworthy, who similarly worked with natural materials to create ephemeral interventions in the landscape. The beauty of these kinds of works is that they invite us to slow down, to consider our place in the world, and to find peace in the simplest of forms.