SF Poetry Plaza (Spring 2007)
As a tribute to the Beat Poetry Movement, my memorial plaza features stages for street bop musicians and poets to perform. To get to the amphitheater, visitors are encouraged to enter through the glass hall inscribed with historic timelines and quotes. On one side, the wall details the political unrest during the Beat Generation; on the other, there are famous quotes from beat authors and poets in response to events such as the Vietnam War and the outcry against the new and open literary style.
The hall is elevated after each turn so that visitors feel like they're ascending and walking through a journey. At the end of the journey, visitors should feel liberated and peaceful (after walking past the historic turmoil). The end of the hall represents a resolution, and then people are drawn to the grassy amphitheater where they have a great view of the performers.
Since a result of the Beat Movement was the spread of ecological consciousness, there are tiered grass fields rather than cement and steel benches so that the audience feels connected to nature. The bottom stage is designed to blend in with the rock wall while the top stage is carved out of the rock.
