Emmett Till River Memorial Site

The goal of this four week long assignment was for each student to design a pavilion in honor of Emmett Till that would be placed on the river site in which he was found dead. This allowed for a better understanding of how to design for purpose using symbolization whether they are recognized or not. My design is based off of the monogrammed ring that positively identified Emmett Till. The ring is significant to the river site because it is where he was pulled out of the river unrecognizable. I chose to incorporate the ring into my design because without the ring, we would not know an Emmett Till; this site would not exist. He would just be another forgotten name in the books. My design is in the shape of a ring and the face of the ring is located in the reflective water pool that is surrounded by two water features engraved with quotes from the civil rights movement. The memorial pavilion is located right in front of the river so visitors can actively visualize where he was pulled out while in a space of contemplation and reflection.