tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post3167115180973997386..comments2023-04-01T08:22:21.406-07:00Comments on t r a c e | w o r k: Who is buried in Grant’s tomb? Social memory and a mausoleum in Morningside HeightsColumbia Center for Archaeologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03723214537331609686noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-535187428900410272012-04-28T08:29:49.562-07:002012-04-28T08:29:49.562-07:00And a question that I just thought of. How should ...And a question that I just thought of. How should we in the present view the mausoleum combined with the oddly disjointed rainbow mosaic wall? Should we think of them and view them together as a representation of the whole site in the present? Or view them as two separate acts of commemoration? Do they even fit together so that they can be seen as a whole?gec2112https://www.blogger.com/profile/14188237593766888699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-44243845342342706002012-04-28T08:27:00.749-07:002012-04-28T08:27:00.749-07:00Personally, I find the current mish-mash of auster...Personally, I find the current mish-mash of austere tomb and abstract, organic, mosaic retaining wall a very strange combination, and I'm glad, Gustavo that you've decided to bring it up. On the one hand, the tomb is symbolic of America's past, and at the same time, like Jay said, it represents a local community. I think, also, that it is significant to note Grant's personal history as the general that ended of the Civil War. It is significant, I think that his tomb is located in an area of New York City that for a long time was dominated by a largely African American population, and the addition of the retaining wall, I think looses some of its silliness when viewed in light of the kind of neighborhoods that surrounded the mausoleum in both past and present.gec2112https://www.blogger.com/profile/14188237593766888699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-13665128012224727112012-04-25T14:54:48.390-07:002012-04-25T14:54:48.390-07:00alison, i don't think neither of us are making...alison, i don't think neither of us are making especially simplistic points, but perhaps coming from different analytical frameworks. although i am probably more to blame for your interpretation, given the words and styles i used to convey my point on a blog post. what i'm trying to get at is that in america, there is perhaps a weaker attachment to locality, than say exists in britain. mobility is also something that has more currency in the us. americans are more likely to pack and move to another place in the country. there's the whole road trip phenomenon (think of the wave of movies in the us, none i can think of in england). this surely needs to be considered in any analysis of locality and buildings such as the mausoleum. it might out analysis a little more difficult to carry out, since a focus on purely "local" matters appears more contained and thus easier to deal with.nasserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17761166229231461105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-22497994794216008592012-04-25T09:55:05.682-07:002012-04-25T09:55:05.682-07:00This is fascinating, and I like your discussion of...This is fascinating, and I like your discussion of memory and conflict over shared spaces/monuments for remembering. I'm not sure I agree, Nasser, that there is a simple European/American divide here though (although I may not understand what you mean - I take you to mean that Europeans are more conscious of preserving their historical monuments in a state of "purity" at home, whereas Americans tend to only feel this "pristine" preservation to be relevant abroad). I think immediately of the Berlin wall graffiti, for instance, which is constantly changing and reinventing that space in the context of memorializing a conflicted past. Even for something less contested, I think of Trafalgar Square, where there are continuously changing art and performance installations on the plinth. Although perhaps this is different because it is never permanent? In any case, I think the way memory is treated locally as opposed to nationally is a really interesting point, as Jay notes, and this post brings it out beautifully.Alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05612939884140424296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-17651006047960349462012-04-19T10:34:23.998-07:002012-04-19T10:34:23.998-07:00Sorry, above comment is from Jay Ramesh - I think ...Sorry, above comment is from Jay Ramesh - I think I have an old blogger account under the name "Raj" so my name didn't show up.Rajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00784868244395112704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-89377184344186343432012-04-19T10:33:45.450-07:002012-04-19T10:33:45.450-07:00I was reminded of Grant's Tomb earlier in the ...I was reminded of Grant's Tomb earlier in the semester, when we were thinking about places and spaces of death. Your discussion of this conflict is really interesting - as it highlights what might be a kind of conflict between the tendency to see the site as nationally/politically significant, as opposed to it being locally significant. Furthermore, it is interesting to consider how aesthetics figures into this kind of conflict.Rajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00784868244395112704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6733046417281735238.post-82448097257438874732012-04-19T10:22:21.240-07:002012-04-19T10:22:21.240-07:00wow that second photo...the tomb really does have ...wow that second photo...the tomb really does have the look and feel of a mausoleum...just shows how much the landscape has changed. what i find interesting is that americans tend to have a special interest in historic buildings abroad, especially in europe. yet at home, there is more neglect. this interest, it could be argued, is more grounded on the whole tourist experience, but i do think there is a difference between say americans and europeans when it comes to an issue like this.nasserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17761166229231461105noreply@blogger.com