Ukraine announces competition for design of Famine memorial (02/08/04)

Ukraine announces competition for design of Famine memorial

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Ukraine's State Committee on Construction and Architecture announced on January 19 that it was reopening a competition for the design of a memorial complex honoring victims of the Famine of 1932-1933 and the politically repressed during the Soviet era.

The decision to begin a new architectural design competition came just over three months after a fiery public hearing in Kyiv condemned the way in which the site for the memorial complex was chosen and the way in the which the previous design competition had been organized.

During the meeting, both organizers of the competition and concerned individuals had alike expressed displeasure over the lack of an organized broad appeal for entries, which had resulted in a very limited number of submissions, mostly by Kyiv designers and members of the local Artists' Union. Participants of the public hearing also voiced their disapproval for the site chosen of the memorial complex and the manner in which it was selected.

In response, the city of Kyiv announced on January 12 that it had moved the planned site for the memorial center from a remote parcel of land on the banks of the Dnipro River to a building in the city center located merely yards from St. Michael's Square and the famous St. Michael's Golden-Domed Sobor.

The new site will house a museum, a conference center and a research and documentation center. The monument itself will now stand in the park located behind the cathedral, which is known as Volodymyr's Hill.

The design competition, which is open to all, invites interested individuals to submit their concepts for a monument to honor the victims of the Famine-Genocide and Soviet political repressions, along with a building that will house a conference hall seating 300 people and a research and documentation center encompassing 4,000 square meters.

In a press release dated January 19, competition organizers stated that the goal of the memorial complex is "to honor the memory of the victims of the genocide, and develop patriotism and a preparedness to sacrifice for the glory of Ukraine."

The organizers said they would like contestants to address the theme "The indestructibility of the Ukrainian nation and its struggle for independence."

All concepts should be submitted with a six-digit personal code in lieu of the designers name in order to keep the judging as fair and objective as possible. Names and addresses should be inserted in a separate envelope and sealed, to be opened after the judging is completed.

Judges will choose three finalists and then decide on the order of the finish. The prize for first place: 20,000 hrv. (approximately $4,000); for second place: 15,000 hrv.; for third place 10,000 hrv.

Projects should be submitted according to these parameters: a situational plan on a scale of 1:1,000 meters; a general plan (showing how the complex would fit in to the surrounding area (1:500 meters); a model of the project and its surroundings at a minimum of 1:500 meters (or 1:200 if possible); other illustrative materials showing different views and highlighting individual aspects that help develop the concept; an accompanying explanation of what the design depicts; and a general appraisal of final cost.

The deadline for entries is March 15. Results will be announced on March 25.

For more information readers can call KyivDerzhBud in Kyiv at 380-44-227-75-38.

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