Meejin Yoon’s work moves seamlessly across scales, from the tactile detail to the territorial mark. She addresses large ideas- such as collective grieving or human migration- with intimate installations in public spaces. The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia (UVA) aims to understand the violence of bondage and the perserverence of the human spirit embedded in that university’s relationship with slavery.
Founded and designed by Thomas Jefferson, UVA is widely considered the quintessential university campus. Yet like many of its peer institutions the University depended on the labor of enslaved African American men, women and children. Constructed of local granite, “Virginia Mist,” the Memorial will create a space to gather, reflect, acknowledge, and honor the enslaved laborers who contributed to the University. Scholars estimate that at least 4,000 enslaved African Americans worked on the grounds, with many in residence, starting with the construction of the Lawn in 1817 and lasting through the end of the Civil War in 1865.
Images courtesy Höweler + Yoon Architecture
