250 years in the future, Earth is decimated by climate disaster and war. A group of
people flee to a planet named Juno and rebuild humanity on this new planet. In addition
to survival, one thing keeps society going in the early years of this new settlement: the
promise of one day returning humanity to Earth. As the years go by however, this hope
turns into nostalgia for Earth because humanity lacks the technology and resources to
return, not to mention that Earth itself has become uninhabitable.
My memorial, named “Repartus de Terra” (“Rebirth of Earth” in Latin), is situated in an
open, grassy park roughly the size of New York City’s Central Park. The park as well as
the statues located in it operate under the guidelines of the Eleven Junian
Commandments to reinforce my vision for the memorial, especially in maintaining its
importance and meaning over time. The first addition to this space is a bronze, faceless
statue depicting Juno, followed by another statue representing both the good and the
bad of humanity every five years, placed sporadically throughout the park.
These statues are decided by the Earth Remembrance Committee and the Prime
Minister of Junian society, and Socrates, Da Vinci, a businessman with a bullet hole in
his head, and a ragged child are all examples of subsequent figures inducted. There are
two categories of statues: specific individuals who represent a specific moment or feat
in time, and general figures that are prevalent throughout humanity’s history on Earth.
The gap in between each statue induction into the park represents the Five Precepts in
Buddhism as well as allowing each generation to leave their impression on the
memorial, giving the memorial the ability to transcend time and evolve in meaning.
Grass is an important feature of the memorial. While the grass in the park is maintained,
the
grass surrounding each statue is only cut every forty years. The statue is completely
enveloped by the grass until the Grass Cut, a ritual that serves to rebirth these statues
and be a fresh reminder to Junian society of humanity’s tumultuous path on Earth. The
number 40 is prominent in Biblical theology, signifying the notion of rebirth. The theme
of rebirth is very prevalent in this world as well as in my memorial. Humanity is reborn
on Juno, even taking its namesake from the Roman goddess of birth. The Grass Cut
celebrations and remembrance is also indicative of rebirth because it represents a
renewal of my memorial’s statues and through that a rebirth of a society that holds my
memorial in a sacred importance. “Repartus de Terra” represents both the good and the bad of humanity, as both sides
together put humanity on this path to Juno.
