In 1871, downtown Los Angeles, 500 people lynched 18 Chinese men. It is often said that history is cyclical; when humanity disregards the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We honor the slain individuals with two separate design proposals for the 1871 Chinese Massacre Memorial, adjacent to the Chinese American Museum. Our concepts are not objects or monuments, nor representational statues on a pedestal, but rather abstract, open-ended experiences. As compositions of art, sculpture, and architecture, this memorial will honor those that have been lost, recalling the past sins of society and telling a story of recovery, and courage.

Option One: 18 Towering Figures
Our design comprises 18 twisted steel plates representing each murdered man. At 20 feet tall, the raw steel plates tower over the visitor like sentinels demanding recognition and acknowledgment. The contortion expresses the torture from the hands of hate. One side of the plates is polished to reflect the visitor’s presence within this tragedy of Asian racism. Within this perimeter of ominous steel sculpture, an ethereal glow of light emanates through translucent glass under the feet of the visitor representing the enduring will of these Chinese men, as well as a more hopeful future.

Option Two: Moon Gate to Memory
The traditional Chinese Moon Gate—a circular opening that is incomplete at the bottom, a passageway between two circumstances—inspires our design. For our proposal, this gateway is transformed into a portal between the horrors of the past and the optimism of the future. Akin to a halo hovering above North Los Angeles Street, our circular memorial comprises 24 steel and aluminum frames forming a horizontal Moon Gate, a portal between city and sky, mortal and immortal. The frame holds 18 translucent glass panels with integrated LED lighting and transparent holographic technology, each representing a different slain man.

In 1871, downtown Los Angeles, 500 people lynched 18 Chinese men. It is often said that history is cyclical; when humanity disregards the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We honor the slain individuals with two separate design proposals for the 1871 Chinese Massacre Memorial, adjacent to the Chinese American Museum. Our concepts are not objects or monuments, nor representational statues on a pedestal, but rather abstract, open-ended experiences. As compositions of art, sculpture, and architecture, this memorial will honor those that have been lost, recalling the past sins of society and telling a story of recovery, and courage.

Option One: 18 Towering Figures
Our design comprises 18 twisted steel plates representing each murdered man. At 20 feet tall, the raw steel plates tower over the visitor like sentinels demanding recognition and acknowledgment. The contortion expresses the torture from the hands of hate. One side of the plates is polished to reflect the visitor’s presence within this tragedy of Asian racism. Within this perimeter of ominous steel sculpture, an ethereal glow of light emanates through translucent glass under the feet of the visitor representing the enduring will of these Chinese men, as well as a more hopeful future.

Option Two: Moon Gate to Memory
The traditional Chinese Moon Gate—a circular opening that is incomplete at the bottom, a passageway between two circumstances—inspires our design. For our proposal, this gateway is transformed into a portal between the horrors of the past and the optimism of the future. Akin to a halo hovering above North Los Angeles Street, our circular memorial comprises 24 steel and aluminum frames forming a horizontal Moon Gate, a portal between city and sky, mortal and immortal. The frame holds 18 translucent glass panels with integrated LED lighting and transparent holographic technology, each representing a different slain man.

In 1871, downtown Los Angeles, 500 people lynched 18 Chinese men. It is often said that history is cyclical; when humanity disregards the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We honor the slain individuals with two separate design proposals for the 1871 Chinese Massacre Memorial, adjacent to the Chinese American Museum. Our concepts are not objects or monuments, nor representational statues on a pedestal, but rather abstract, open-ended experiences. As compositions of art, sculpture, and architecture, this memorial will honor those that have been lost, recalling the past sins of society and telling a story of recovery, and courage.

Option One: 18 Towering Figures
Our design comprises 18 twisted steel plates representing each murdered man. At 20 feet tall, the raw steel plates tower over the visitor like sentinels demanding recognition and acknowledgment. The contortion expresses the torture from the hands of hate. One side of the plates is polished to reflect the visitor’s presence within this tragedy of Asian racism. Within this perimeter of ominous steel sculpture, an ethereal glow of light emanates through translucent glass under the feet of the visitor representing the enduring will of these Chinese men, as well as a more hopeful future.

Option Two: Moon Gate to Memory
The traditional Chinese Moon Gate—a circular opening that is incomplete at the bottom, a passageway between two circumstances—inspires our design. For our proposal, this gateway is transformed into a portal between the horrors of the past and the optimism of the future. Akin to a halo hovering above North Los Angeles Street, our circular memorial comprises 24 steel and aluminum frames forming a horizontal Moon Gate, a portal between city and sky, mortal and immortal. The frame holds 18 translucent glass panels with integrated LED lighting and transparent holographic technology, each representing a different slain man.

In 1871, downtown Los Angeles, 500 people lynched 18 Chinese men. It is often said that history is cyclical; when humanity disregards the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We honor the slain individuals with two separate design proposals for the 1871 Chinese Massacre Memorial, adjacent to the Chinese American Museum. Our concepts are not objects or monuments, nor representational statues on a pedestal, but rather abstract, open-ended experiences. As compositions of art, sculpture, and architecture, this memorial will honor those that have been lost, recalling the past sins of society and telling a story of recovery, and courage.

Option One: 18 Towering Figures
Our design comprises 18 twisted steel plates representing each murdered man. At 20 feet tall, the raw steel plates tower over the visitor like sentinels demanding recognition and acknowledgment. The contortion expresses the torture from the hands of hate. One side of the plates is polished to reflect the visitor’s presence within this tragedy of Asian racism. Within this perimeter of ominous steel sculpture, an ethereal glow of light emanates through translucent glass under the feet of the visitor representing the enduring will of these Chinese men, as well as a more hopeful future.

Option Two: Moon Gate to Memory
The traditional Chinese Moon Gate—a circular opening that is incomplete at the bottom, a passageway between two circumstances—inspires our design. For our proposal, this gateway is transformed into a portal between the horrors of the past and the optimism of the future. Akin to a halo hovering above North Los Angeles Street, our circular memorial comprises 24 steel and aluminum frames forming a horizontal Moon Gate, a portal between city and sky, mortal and immortal. The frame holds 18 translucent glass panels with integrated LED lighting and transparent holographic technology, each representing a different slain man.

In 1871, downtown Los Angeles, 500 people lynched 18 Chinese men. It is often said that history is cyclical; when humanity disregards the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We honor the slain individuals with two separate design proposals for the 1871 Chinese Massacre Memorial, adjacent to the Chinese American Museum. Our concepts are not objects or monuments, nor representational statues on a pedestal, but rather abstract, open-ended experiences. As compositions of art, sculpture, and architecture, this memorial will honor those that have been lost, recalling the past sins of society and telling a story of recovery, and courage.

Option One: 18 Towering Figures
Our design comprises 18 twisted steel plates representing each murdered man. At 20 feet tall, the raw steel plates tower over the visitor like sentinels demanding recognition and acknowledgment. The contortion expresses the torture from the hands of hate. One side of the plates is polished to reflect the visitor’s presence within this tragedy of Asian racism. Within this perimeter of ominous steel sculpture, an ethereal glow of light emanates through translucent glass under the feet of the visitor representing the enduring will of these Chinese men, as well as a more hopeful future.

Option Two: Moon Gate to Memory
The traditional Chinese Moon Gate—a circular opening that is incomplete at the bottom, a passageway between two circumstances—inspires our design. For our proposal, this gateway is transformed into a portal between the horrors of the past and the optimism of the future. Akin to a halo hovering above North Los Angeles Street, our circular memorial comprises 24 steel and aluminum frames forming a horizontal Moon Gate, a portal between city and sky, mortal and immortal. The frame holds 18 translucent glass panels with integrated LED lighting and transparent holographic technology, each representing a different slain man.

In 1871, downtown Los Angeles, 500 people lynched 18 Chinese men. It is often said that history is cyclical; when humanity disregards the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We honor the slain individuals with two separate design proposals for the 1871 Chinese Massacre Memorial, adjacent to the Chinese American Museum. Our concepts are not objects or monuments, nor representational statues on a pedestal, but rather abstract, open-ended experiences. As compositions of art, sculpture, and architecture, this memorial will honor those that have been lost, recalling the past sins of society and telling a story of recovery, and courage.

Option One: 18 Towering Figures
Our design comprises 18 twisted steel plates representing each murdered man. At 20 feet tall, the raw steel plates tower over the visitor like sentinels demanding recognition and acknowledgment. The contortion expresses the torture from the hands of hate. One side of the plates is polished to reflect the visitor’s presence within this tragedy of Asian racism. Within this perimeter of ominous steel sculpture, an ethereal glow of light emanates through translucent glass under the feet of the visitor representing the enduring will of these Chinese men, as well as a more hopeful future.

Option Two: Moon Gate to Memory
The traditional Chinese Moon Gate—a circular opening that is incomplete at the bottom, a passageway between two circumstances—inspires our design. For our proposal, this gateway is transformed into a portal between the horrors of the past and the optimism of the future. Akin to a halo hovering above North Los Angeles Street, our circular memorial comprises 24 steel and aluminum frames forming a horizontal Moon Gate, a portal between city and sky, mortal and immortal. The frame holds 18 translucent glass panels with integrated LED lighting and transparent holographic technology, each representing a different slain man.