Posted by  Jan Orfe on October 11, 2003 at 09:23:35:

In Reply to:  Re: Odds and Ends posted by NKL on October 10, 2003 at 18:59:17:

Exactly. We are not alone, are we? And I hope others like us will not hesitate to
express their own pent up legitimate frustrations and/or uplifting insights.

I'm in a silly mood this morning, since
I received a NEWS ALERT that finalists
have been chosen and apparently notified.
For example, what is a FASTCAD? Sounds
like a guy who behaves dishonorably
towards women. And he's zooming around town in his red Porsche, as we speak? (Yeah, I know, lame.) Here's what I wrote
to MYSELF the second I found out that my
designing days are over:

[NEWS ALERT! Finalists Chosen!!!!!!!!]

Normal workday. It's almost 4PM. No one has called. (Sigh!) I guess that means I was not one of the "lucky" ones. Oh well.
Time to get on with my life, whatever
that might be... chores, fix the roof,
catch the Yankees/Red Sox game tomorrow,
apologize to my wife for being so self-
absorbed in this memorial thing, get a
decent night's sleep...

Questions, questions, questions: What
was it about my design concept the jury
rejected? What element in particular was
the dealbreaker? And why would I go back
onto the Web to chat with who knows how
many disgruntled competitors like myself?
Don't get me wrong. It WAS NOT about the
winning. It's the realisation that my
heartfelt vision not only failed to move the jury's heart and soul, but sadly, I'll never find out WHY. Why didn't my theme, Freedom: The Human Connection, connect?? Was it too patriotic? too idealogical? too costly to build? not enough inspirational stuff? Did I locate the north tower facade artifact in the wrong place, or perhaps not include enough historical accuracy? Too many questions and no answers, my mind won't let go: Was this memorial supposed to convey America's resolve, resilience, optimism, pride and unity in the context of terrorism in the 21st Century -that our principles of freedom and ideals of democracy need proclaiming once and for all?- or was my symbolism too heavy in that respect, when all the jury wanted was a memorial to international peace and brotherly love, you know, include everybody on the planet who became victims on 9/11? (A we-are-the-world type of approach?) Did a pedestrian walkway over the pit prove my undoing? (I hated the very idea of a shortcut.) And what about my recognition of the heroes? -that I absolutely felt THEY deserved, in some
non-hierarchical way, to be cited for
THEIR incredible courage and bravery? Is
THAT where I screwed up?? Was it simply the type of polished stone I indicated
in one of my sketches? Or the size and shape of that enclosed space for the unidentified remains? And last but not least (yes, I even considered this oddest
of possibilities): Did one of the eight or so finalists capture my concept in a
more compelling way? If so, joy! Good for him or her. That alone will help me to
get a good night's sleep, knowing that this very important competition wasn't a total rejection of everything I believed
in, merely a matter of poor presentation
on my part. The end.

(I peppered the note to myself with
more swear words than I care to mention.
But I think you get the idea. Naturally, the NEWS ALERT was a good news/bad news
moment. And I won't hide the fact I'm
feeling a little left out at this point.
Maybe 5,192 of us can get together for a
group hug?)
Orfe

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