Thursday, September 15, 2005
Spiteful Crescent or Warm Croissant?
I’ve refrained from comment on the “Crescent of Embrace” controversy until now, mainly because I felt there was little to add.
For those who haven’t heard, a design has been selected for the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania. Bloggers instantly noted that the design looks awfully like the red crescent that is one of the symbols of Islam:
Some see it as a tiny ‘kerfuffle’, and that people will always find symbolism in something if they look hard enough. Others feel the design was deliberately created to reference the Islamic symbol. Some have called it a slap in the face of the victims of Flight 93 and celebrating the Islamic terrorists that caused the crash.
It is possible to a point to be oblivious, as I was once with a client. He had a business in Germany involving tires. I had been exploring different options using eagles, as they are often used in heraldric devices of the area. I really liked my design, but it wasn’t until it was nearly ready for client presentation that my wife noticed something not-quite-right:
Do you see it? The Eagle and tire look almost identical to the Roman style crests the Nazi party used in World War II. Once I did see it, I knew it was completely inappropriate.
After reading arguments on both sides, as well as the architect’s own words, I have little doubt the design was intentional. I believe the architect intended it as a message of peace and understanding. I also believe that bloggers who think that message is innapprorpiate in any monument at that site are wrong. I will agree that this one is misguided, for an altogether different reason than most of the detractors. I see the symbol as a perpetual reminders that we hold Muslims accountable for Flight 93, and their religion in its entirety, and not just sixteen extremists. I think it’s a slap in the face of an entire religion.
I might be reading too much into it. After all, I deal with symbols and meaning all the time in graphic design. It is entirely true not everyone will see it. But even if only 10% of people do, that’s enough to see the design is not right for the memorial.
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