AIDS MEMORIAL

Key West, FL

The memorial's spiraling cone represents the many people affected by the AIDS crisis, the continuing research that will someday eliminate the virus, and the memories of those who have died as a result of the disease. On the inside of the cone is a poem by Wallace Stevens hand painted on the white walls above. The oculus, which is open to the sky, creates a setting for contemplation and remembrance. Brass numbers in the plaza begin with the date the virus was first recognized and continue to spiral out to today. The memorial sits at the edge of a pier that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to its purpose as a memorial, the conical sculpture alludes to the coral formations to be found in the waters beyond. At night the memorial is lit from within and serves as a beacon to those both on shore and those out at sea.