Linden Memorial Park

Please go have a look. The grounds are fabulous, featuring a central area of waterfalls pouring down into a sunken lake. The landscape and contemplative areas are quite varied, ranging from natural forests to quiet benches with "gazing orbs", to beaches, to formal builds. All manner of memorials can be accommodated, from simple engraved stones, sculptures or monuments.
1. Shrine of Remembrance
2. Day Of Remembrance permanent installation
3. Memorial Beach and candle dedications
4. Forest of the Past
5. Future Resident event space
6. Quiet spaces

Originally posted on Blogs.SecondLife.com DPW by Brent Linden

LDPW creates public space for memorial events, contemplation

Posted by Brent Linden on Apr 22, 2009 1:43:45 PM

Linden Memorial Park started like most projects at the Lab: with a JIRA task. "DPW: Create an area for special events, including memorials", created on April 20th, 2007, finally got off the ground in February 2009. The space was designed to be a living monument to the tragedies our Residents are affected by and to take the place of Linden Lab leasing regions temporarily for memorials like the Virginia Tech memorial and Hurricane Katrina memorial. Instead, events will occur on the dedicated 4-corners regions of Highgate, Monument, Derran Moor and Winterspire (rules for requesting the space are in the works and will be posted about separately on the Community blog). When the event wraps up a permanent structure, plinth or statue will be added by the Linden Department of Public Works commemorating the event and paying tribute to its memory. In time, the walkway around the park will become a timeline of events that have touched our Residents deeply.

Jack Linden, the instigator of this project, asked me to design a space which felt like a french graveyard. I squirmed (those who know me know I'm not partial to the macabre) but began my research, looking into what makes these spaces unique. It turned out it wasn't gravestones and mausoleums but carefully-planned landscaping which looked completely natural, along with winding paths and spaces to think about those you have lost. From this inspiration came the the layout and overall art style of the space. I purposely strived to make it different from what I had seen in other memorials in Second Life. It's designed to be more natural with very minimal structure. The central build was based strongly on the Shrine of Remembrance in Brisbane, Australia, after I researched many different eternal flame installations the world over. The waterfalls represent renewal and everything coming back to a source (the Shrine). We were asked as a special request to include the lovely Memorial Garden created by Residents for last year's Day of Remembrance in Biloxi so that it may have a permanent home. There are special tribute builds to Residents known by the Moles whom we have lost in the forests of Rookwood and Toowong as well as crumbling ruins, which add an aged quality to the space and represent the tenacity of life.

While I built the main waterfalls and original Shrine building, it was our industrious Mole crew that should take the credit for the majority of the build work: Crazy Mole, whose sculpty talents were integral to many of the more monumental builds (pun intended!). Garden Mole, a mole with a green thumb if ever there was one, also created a special memorial garden in the space and built many of the bridges throughout. Misty Mole, who has a penchant for paving, did a great job realizing the temple around the Shrine of Remembrance and building out all the paths and the main staircase from the Shrine to the waterfalls. Naughty Mole, a master of layout, took a simple sketch I made and brought to life the quiet spaces. Opti Mole, another sculpty hero, created the breathtaking dunes at the Memorial Beach and had a hand in scripting some of the critters. Silent Mole, who planted gardens, built bridges and breathed life into the cutest little bunnies, was also the builder and scripter behind the floating memorial candles which you can launch from the beach in San Michele.

Linden Memorial Park isn't meant to replace any other memorial space in Second Life. Rather, it is meant to be a space in which all our Residents can enjoy the natural beauty and contemplate life and those who they have lost. We hope you enjoy the space as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Be sure to check out Dusty's post with more information about the Community side of this story.

© 2009 Linden Research, Inc.

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