Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial | Boston Common | Downtown

chrisbrat said:
final execution of the sculpture, placement, and maintenance will be everything with this, of course, but i recall many in chicago HATING "the bean" to begin with and now it's an iconic and beloved signature element of that city. it may be too much to hope for precisely the same outcome with this project, but i don't think it's entirely outside of the realm of possibility. the sculpture is pretty daring and it's scope is substantial. i say: tone down the negativity and get behind this thing.
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People take their picture reflected (along with the skyline) in Chicago's bean. They take photos under the Philly LOVE sign, often kissing. How cool would it be for it become "a thing" to take pictures standing under Boston's Embrace hugging your friends, family, strangers, etc. This is just the type of sculpture that can reach that sort of icon status.
 
exactly! here's hoping this is executed, situated, and maintained in such a way as to do precisely that.
 
fattony said:
People take their picture reflected (along with the skyline) in Chicago's bean. They take photos under the Philly LOVE sign, often kissing. How cool would it be for it become "a thing" to take pictures standing under Boston's Embrace hugging your friends, family, strangers, etc. This is just the type of sculpture that can reach that sort of icon status.
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I absolutely see this happening. Everyone knows what the bean in Chicago is, because of the interaction it gets. Everyone will know that this sculpture in Boston is the MLK memorial, where you hug your s/o and take a picture. This is going to be a must-see spot in Boston, drawing more people to enjoy our common, and becoming an instant classic and icon. Things that cause you to interact with them in a positive way, and are also “instagram-able”, and fun are huge hits with people. Then all of those people will be tagging that they are at the Boston MLK memorial... spreading it to more and more people. Something that comes with a fun tradition like hugging your s/o in a picture causing interaction and positive feelings are what separate your run of the mill statue from a bean. Many additions to the public realm in all different cities have been chided at first, only to become excellent additions that you cant imagine the city without. This is going to be one of them.

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Note the guy sitting down playing the sax haha. I hope this comes with a dedicated saxophone player...thatd be badass.
 
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odurandina said:
too big p/c garbage in the wrong place.

put a normal sized statue of him on the Common, Liberty Tree site, or other place.
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What exactly is pc about this? Get your hateful white nationalist bullshit out of here. Not sure why we let racist political trolls run rampant on a development discussion forum.
 
Am I the only one that hates the pavement treatment here? It looks dated already.

I also feel like the plaza they are creating needs more activation/seating. How is that space going to be used?
 
Sprngh2o said:
When in doubt play race card.
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Your objection is bullshit when you know full well how defining race is in regards to social and economic status in this country. If that conversation triggers you it says much more about you than anything or anyone else. Take your bitching elsewhere.
 
Sprngh2o said:
When in doubt play race card.
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Can we break off an aggrieved white dude thread so the aggrieved white dudes can discuss their persecution without clogging up other threads? Seemed to mostly work for the height fetishism.
 
The pavement design isn't great, plus in the renderings it looks like there are large gaps between the panels? I'm sure it just the way it is rendered.

(BTW I've found if you replace the phrase "PC" with some form of the word "kindness" "compassion" or "empathy" it works about 99% of the time)
 
BarbaricManchurian said:
So why is this "pc" again?
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You can always block him instead of spewing vitriol and further derailing the thread; that's what I did recently, and it's done wonders for my blood pressure.

Half the time his comments are ambiguous and/or incoherent...you shouldn't even attempt to try and understand him.
 
Well why the fuck are we tolerating this? This is a forum on development, not a place to spew alt-right intolerance. So anyone whose purpose here is to espouse those views should be shown the door like Rifleman.
 
BarbaricManchurian said:
Well why the fuck are we tolerating this? This is a forum on development, not a place to spew alt-right intolerance. So anyone whose purpose here is to espouse those views should be shown the door like Rifleman.
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Agreed.
 
BarbaricManchurian said:
Well why the fuck are we tolerating this? This is a forum on development, not a place to spew alt-right intolerance. So anyone whose purpose here is to espouse those views should be shown the door like Rifleman.
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Seconded.
 
And yes, hope the pavement treatment gets refined.
 
I love this sculpture. Right size, right placement, right color/finish, right material and most of all, the right abstraction to offer remembrance and tribute to MLK. He embraced all of humanity to encourage our better selves. This is the message I hope all will get.
 
If the paving cam be improved and the sculpture kept polished and shiny, I'll like it at that spot!
 
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