Monuments are:
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical, political, technical or architectural importance. Some of the first monuments were dolmens or menhirs, megalithic constructions built for religious or funerary purposes.[1] Examples of monuments include statues, (war) memorials, historical buildings, archaeological sites, and cultural assets.
The origin of the word “monument” comes from the Greek mnemosynon and the Latin moneo, monere, which means ‘to remind’, ‘to advise’ or ‘to warn’, suggesting a monument allows us to see the past thus helping us visualize what is to come in the future
My first thought on monuments is about what we choose to remember and how. As a point of comparison, I will look at two World War I monuments, one from Canada (left), and the other from France (right).
They both recognise the field of battle, but they diverge in what they want to remember. France highlights the fallen; Canada is reflective. It is not a question of which is right or wrong, better or worse; they are equally valid choices. The point is a choice was made.
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