Monument of the victims of the comunist regimes
Monument to the victims of communist regimes in the world
Sofia, Bulgaria
Client: NPO
Type: competition – II place
Program: memorial sign
Project: 2009
Partner in Charge: Angel Savlakov
Project Architects: Angel Savlakov, Ivan Dragoshinski, Ivaylo Andreev
Co-author: doc. Vladimir Ignatov
Team: Nikola Malinov
The environment of the project’s site, assigned by the municipal authorities for a monument to the victims of communist regimes in the world, is a park space in Sofia’s city center that is characterized by an active social life and the dominating presence of the church “Saint Sedmochislenici”. While searching for an idea for the monument we were trying to answer several base questions:
- What should be our approach to the site so that its active social life will not only be conserved but will be stimulated as well?
- How to create an abstract symbol of the monument’s theme and in the same time this symbol to remain close to the people’s perceptions?
- How the created symbol will have a relation to the monument’s environment and how it will acknowledge the church’s presence. Is it possible the symbol to show the relationship between our present and the monument’s theme and in the same time to send a message to the future?
The structure of the monument consists of a system of vertical walls, allowing free modeling of the terrain between them. Green sloping surfaces form а landscape, which is accessible to everyone and is a natural extension of the park area. The vertical walls are covered by folded and partially sliced massive metal sheets that make reference to the totalitarian regimes in the world and the "iron curtain" that was imposed by them. Delicate metal flowers are extending from the cuts in the metal sheets and with its large numbers are associated with the numerous victims of the communism. The contrast between the flowers and the brutal steel wall underlines the main theme of the monument. The sole sculpture used in the monument is a child's figure in human height, sitting at the end of a wall and staring into the church building. The connection of the child and the flowers with the church can be interpreted individually, but probably the created sense of expectation and hope is the message of the monument for future generations.
