44 Trees

Haifa, Israel

Program: Memorial to Victims of Carmel Forest Fire
Client: Ministry of Public Security

The Carmel disaster is a painful national memory. In a few years the forest will regenerate, and green will replace the black. However the human loss will remain present and the fallen victims will always remain in our memory. The 44 Trees grove we offer seeks to perpetuate the fallen symbolically by creating a silent grove of 44 transparent, memorial trees. The monument consists of 44 columns made of polycarbonate or glass, containing burnt branches that have been collected from the site. Representing the remains of which have been frozen in time within their transparent cases. The columns are engraved with the names of the fallen, and create a group and personal monument in memory of the victims. The 44 Tree forest will be a place for group gatherings for remembrance as well as a place for personal and family reunification. Each pillar / tree in the 44 Tree grove will be illuminated by LED lighting at its base, which will be lit individually on each victims birthday, as well as on memorial days. The power supply for the LED lighting will come from a photovoltaic solar panel that will be erected on the site’s edges. The 44 Tree grove, on its transparent pillars, will fill the burnt clearing with forty-four testimonies that tell the human, national and scenic story.