185 years ago on April 21, 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto took place. The victory would cement the creation of the State of Texas, 28th state of the United States, in 1845. On this site, an obelisk, a monument dedicated to this historical day, was inaugurated on April 21, 1939.
The place steeped in history and in a remarkable natural environment, inspired us to design an ephemeral architectural structure.
On the lake, measuring about 1,800′ in length and 226′ in width, and located on the east-west axis of the obelisk, we are suggesting to “set” fifty containers of 40′, one for each state of the United States. This artistic and pedagogical masterpiece would welcome the public for several months.
On the southern façades, the names of the States would be inscribed, the characters cut in the metal letting the volumes appear (at night, a suitable lighting would make the inscriptions better stand out). From west to east, in alphabetical order, come in succession the 50 names of The Star-Spangled Banner, from Alabama to Wyoming. This reading order is done logically from left to right when standing on the southern dock of the lake.
On the northern façades, there are murals of about 320 sq. ft. on each container. A street artist will be invited (chosen specifically or from a determined competition) to paint a “legacy” representing his/her state. Afterwards, the mural will be able to be retrieved by each state and permanently set in its capital city or another town of their choice.
The eastern and western façades are cut with vertical openings that allow visitors to go through the fifty historical installations. This path is on a floating quay crossing the lake, east to west or vice-versa, crossing the fifty volumes.
Inside each container, a multimedia presentation (projection, light, and sound) recounts the key moments of the creation of each state, such as the Battle of San Jacinto for Texas. Within minutes, the visitor will be transported through time and space to live events that bind the destiny of millions of Americans.
*** At this time, this project, on our own initiative, does not have a contracting owner.The land on which we are planning to build does not belong to Namma & Containers LLC.And our company does not have an agreement with its owner.
Experts committee to set up.
– Involvement of the San Jacinto Museum of History officials in order to plan this event (agenda, budget, partners, administrative authorizations, etc.).
– Historians for the definition of historical moments to transcribe.
– Artistic curators for the choice of artists and masterpieces.
– Engineers for the calculations and the implementation of the project with the containers, the floating quays, and their environments.
View and Download the Home Folie Booklet (PDF – 24 pages – 4,8 Mo)
