Maya Lin: Architect & Artist

Maya Lin is an incredible artist and architect whose work we find inspiring! She considers the individual and creates the perfect space for people in the landscape. She takes a personal approach to design that resonates with us and the way we approach all of our projects.

She first became a household name at the impressive young age of 21 when she entered and won a competition for the design of the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington D.C. An incredibly introspective and moving design, the memorial is composed of a polished black granite wall in the shape of a V with the names of the fallen soldiers from the war engraved on it. As you walk along the wall, the ground dips, as if it was carved out in order to reveal the names of the soldiers. It is an incredibly powerful experience to walk along the wall. The earth is carved out and the negative space feels like a tangible representation of the lost soldiers. No matter which direction you walk through the memorial, it always slopes back up, reminding us that there is always hope.

An arial view of the Vietnam War Memorial.

A view of the war memorial at dawn.

Another inspiring architectural project of hers was the Langston Hughes Library in Clinton, TN. Built within an existing old barn, Lin gracefully and seamlessly integrates the old and the new. The log cabin construction of the barn was not eliminated, as many might have done, but instead celebrated and reinvented as a façade with an inner shell comprised of glass, steel and wood. This decision not only respected the identity of the community and its history, but also created an incredibly beautiful interior with the light quality as it filters through the logs!

The exterior of the Langston Hughes Library.

The interior of the library.

Detail of the light coming through the wood paneled exterior of the building.

Lin was not only trained as an architect, but also as an artist, and she is quite an accomplished one at that! Here are some of our favorites!

Seven Earth Mountain, 2015 was a collaboration with Phillip Lim; a sculptural installation to showcase his spring collection Stop and Smell the Flowers. Lin “immediately thought of working with earth as a symbol of regeneration and a way to focus attention on a life affirming vital element of nature-soil…. and of course – without which flowers couldn’t grow.”

Above and Below, 2007, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, was the first of Lin’s permanent wire installations, and was meant to celebrate the topography of the underground White River system.

All images courtesy of Maya Lin.

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