Trace-s

Collaborative Design Competition Entry

2021

Honorable Mention, Non-Architecture Unbuilt Project Award 2022

The 416 Memorial Plaza is conceived as a linear shallow water field where each line bears the name of one of the 304 victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster. These water lines interlace anonymously yet reveal a converging directional pattern from above—an embodiment of how individual courage and shared faith unite into collective strength.

As visitors walk across the plaza, their footprints momentarily imprint upon the shallow water, drying over time. This simple interaction transforms loss into a tangible act of remembrance—each trace joining others to form a shared memory field, one that grows stronger in absence.

Below, an underground space is shaped by light and water descending from the plaza above. A spatial axis connects Danwon High School and the ferry’s sinking site, guiding visitors through zones of exhibition, reflection, and commemoration. Here, converging streams fall upon a dark reflective surface—becoming a “blackboard” on which traces of memory continue to be inscribed.