The memorial park has always been an integral part of the plan for I-Park. It is an important aesthetic component of the project as it will become home to beautiful memorial gardens (living memorials), monumental sculpture and new styles of columbaria. It will lend an air of seriousness and mystery to I-Park while imparting a worthwhile sense of perspective and proportion.
In an economic sense, Thanatopolis will help generate commissions for I-Park artists. And, it has the potential to become a major income source for the project. The prospect of the memorial park helping to fund the living arts is a very satisfying concept to consider, as I-Park aspires ultimately to become a self-supporting entity.
Thanatopolis will be a repository for cremated remains only. This will allow for less intensive land use and environmental impact. No crematory is planned for the site, however, and the organization and provision of memorial services will be left to others. Thanatopolis will render the land as well as an array of alternative options for creatively engaging the issues of grief, memory and the aesthetics of memorialization.
Although the project will have an experimental aspect and will ultimately evolve in response to cultural demand and personal preferences, it is hoped that the concept of affinity memorials will take hold. This is where a special, relatively large garden space is created in memory of a highly respected individual (for example, an artist, greater thinker or world leader) or to commemorate a particular historical event or philosophy. Under this arrangement, you would choose your location for interment by virtue of your being drawn to the beauty of a particular garden and/or by your emotional or philosophical connection to the person or concept being memorialized. The underlying economics of this group memorial approach will result in the creation of extremely ambitious, awe-inspiring spaces. The hoped for result will be a deep and arresting contemplative pause.
