The Flight 93 Memorial

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gilliam

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Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse:

The design of the Flight 93 memorial is being criticized for resembling a Red Islamic Crescent. Michelle Malkin, Real Clear Politics and Little Green Footballs point out the uncanny similarity. One poster at the FreeRepublic claimed that the “Crescent of Embrace”, the principal visual feature consisting of a semicircle of red maple trees enfolding a central space, was oriented toward Mecca.

fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2005/09/flight-93-memorial.html
 
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gilliam:
Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse:

The design of the Flight 93 memorial is being criticized for resembling a Red Islamic Crescent. Michelle Malkin, Real Clear Politics and Little Green Footballs point out the uncanny similarity. One poster at the FreeRepublic claimed that the “Crescent of Embrace”, the principal visual feature consisting of a semicircle of red maple trees enfolding a central space, was oriented toward Mecca.

fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2005/09/flight-93-memorial.html
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One can see whatever one wants to see in nearly anything, whether it’s an Islamic symbol in a grove of trees or even the Blessed Virgin Mary on a piece of toast.
 
Arba Sicula:
One can see whatever one wants to see in nearly anything, whether it’s an Islamic symbol in a grove of trees or even the Blessed Virgin Mary on a piece of toast.
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False analogy.

The red crescent in a grove of maple trees is a work of art and therefore subject to aesthetic analysis.

The BVM on a piece of toast is not a work of art and therefore not subject to aesthetic analysis.
 
It is more than a work of art. It is a memorial. By definition, a memorial is a symbol.
 
Ani Ibi:
The BVM on a piece of toast is not a work of art and therefore not subject to aesthetic analysis.
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True. It’s not art, but a miraculous apparition. 🙂
 
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gilliam:
It is more than a work of art. It is a memorial. By definition, a memorial is a symbol.
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Did you see the TV movie about Flight 93? At the end of the film and after a short discussion led by Tom Brokaw with some of the family member of the heroes of 93, the man designing the memorial talked about his vision for it. He never said anything about wanting to form a crescent. Rather he referred to the red maple trees as a grove that would follow the topography of the hill. It’s not meant to symbolize any belief system at all. I think the good man has never even considered that it forms a red crescent. If he is alerted to that interpretation (and I can’t help but think someone will point it out to him) he may change his plan, but if he doesn’t it hardly matters, does it? After all, he just meant to honor the brave souls who fought back with a grove trees. Maybe we should just take it at that and not make anything more out of it than is intended.
 
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Della:
He never said anything about wanting to form a crescent…It’s not meant to symbolize any belief system at all. I think the good man has never even considered that it forms a red crescent. If he is alerted to that interpretation (and I can’t help but think someone will point it out to him) he may change his plan, but if he doesn’t it hardly matters, does it?..Maybe we should just take it at that and not make anything more out of it than is intended.
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This is the intentional fallacy: that a work of art is understood by the intent of its author.
 
Ani Ibi:
This is the intentional fallacy: that a work of art is understood by the intent of its author.
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Not by his intent alone. But, it’s a starting point, it seems.
 
Ani Ibi:
This is the intentional fallacy: that a work of art is understood by the intent of its author.
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:confused: Why? Shouldn’t we take the artist’s intentions into account?
 
It wasn´t very afortuned the monument, many times, we are too much respectful about islam, when it isn´t necessary like this time, if you don´t want a cross, you can put other things but please not an islamic symbol, it´s pathetic.
 
Della said:
:confused: Why? Shouldn’t we take the artist’s intentions into account?
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Not exclusively. The merits of a work of art are subject to many factors. The artist may have an intention. But the art has formalistic qualities which have a life separate from the intention. The historical context, cultural context, psychological context, the biographical context, how the audience receives a work of art, and many other factors determine the significance of a work of art.

In this case, the artist may not have intended a resonance between the arc of maple trees and the red crescent. But the historical context determines that the arc of maple trees signifies the red crescent.

Perhaps if it were located in Montreal, the arc would signifiy the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. But it wasn’t; it was located in Pennsylvania.
 
Della said:
:confused: Why? Shouldn’t we take the artist’s intentions into account?
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The artist is work for hire. His intentions do not trump the intent of the memorial. Which is being paid for with public funds.

Before you lambast me, I am an artist.
 
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walstan:
Somebody better arrange for the Piaza at St. Peters in Rome to be demolished. Berninni designed it in the shape of a crescent!!!

Sheessssss… %between% smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_146_32v.gif
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You do have to admit there is a certain amount of irony that a memorial to those who died on Flight 93 would resemble a red crescent?

Perhaps not intended to resemble a symbol of Islam, it still, none the less, does.

Lets just change it and move on.
 
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coyote:
The artist is work for hire. His intentions do not trump the intent of the memorial. Which is being paid for with public funds.

Before you lambast me, I am an artist.
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I have no desire to lambast anyone. And, I didn’t say the intentions of the artist trump anything, either. I only asked if the intentions of the artist shouldn’t be taken into account. Why the assumption of ill will? It was just a simple question. :eek:
 
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walstan:
Somebody better arrange for the Piaza at St. Peters in Rome to be demolished. Berninni designed it in the shape of a crescent!
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Faulty analogy.
 
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