Park of the Laments 2010

Alfredo Jaar made this land art piece in Indianapolis, and it's a place where landscape and architecture get all mixed up with feelings. Jaar's piece feels like something you stumble upon, rather than something imposed. The way he uses vegetation, rocks, and concrete, feels intuitive, like a gardener arranging plants. Those gabion walls are just full of rocks, like big, blocky brushstrokes. And you know, there's a rawness to that, a kind of vulnerability, which is interesting given the monumentality of the structure as a whole. Check out how the stairs lead you down into the earth, like you're entering something hidden, private. It's all very controlled and designed, of course. It reminds me of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Memorial, using a similar manipulation of landscape to create an environment of contemplative encounter with loss and memory. I think that art is about a constant conversation between people and ideas, about building on what came before. So what does this artwork have to say to you?