While visiting family, I was able to view my great Oma’s grave for the first time. The last time I saw her was before the pandemic, which made my visit to her grave bittersweet as I thought about the possibility of seeing her again given different circumstances.
As I stood at her grave, which is alongside her parents, I realized that I was standing in a place that brought together multiple generations of women in my family. This rare and poignant moment made me reflect on the power of designing spaces for remembrance.
Instead of solely focusing on innovating for the future, it’s also important for designers to focus on innovating how we interact with and view history and connect with past generations. As I sat in the church next to my great Oma’s grave, I felt more connected to her presence and had room to reflect on her life, my own, and my connection to my family. I hope to be able to design environments that can provide similar spaces for others in the future.
An image of the interior of the church next to my great Oma’s grave, which is were my Oma would attend services as a child with her great Oma (my great, great Oma)