Shrine - MP Welch

In this class we have repeatedly talked about controversy that has arisen over who is allowed to design a memorial. Having not known Beau, the honoree of my memorial, I doubt his family would actually choose me to create a memorial to him; however, in a way, I think my perspective may have merit since I can hopefully connect his impact on me to the school’s greater community better than a mourning family member could.

To give some context, last summer I travelled to Rome, Italy to study for six weeks. Unfortunately, the day of my trans-Atlantic flight I found out I had mono, but for some reason my parents still let me fly to Europe. Because of this sickness, I went to bed early the first night of my program; however, most of the other students went out to enjoy their first glimpse of nightlife in this new city. One student, Beau Solomon, went out with the other students, but he did not return that night. Horrendously, three days later his body was found in the river. I constructed a shrine to him to commemorate him as an individual and, hopefully, promote a greater message of living every moment to the fullest.

When first contemplating the design for my shrine, the statue in the zone between Graham Lees and Gaines, dedicated to Kelsey Durkin, kept entering my mind. I love how this memorial both captures her essence as an energetic individual and serves as a reminder to our community about the consequences of drinking and driving. After speaking with Baeu’s parents, I learned about his rich relationship with his parents and how excited he had been about the opportunity to come to Italy. I wanted my shrine to mimic these two purposes: highlighting his personal trait of a commitment to his family, but also inspiring viewers to take action and explore the world. These are the two messages I hope my shrine evokes.

The strings on the pitcher are of six different colors, representing my family of two parents and three siblings. As well, they symbolize the tie Beau had to his family and that we all have to our families. The bright colors relate to the photogenic nature of Italy and link the importance of cherishing your family with the call to go out and explore our world.

I intentionally chose a pitcher because I wanted to incorporate water into the shrine. After his death, getting close to bodies of water paralyzed me. However, after spending a semester living on the river in Sevilla, I can again appreciate the calming nature of water and wanted to use it to illustrate the ability of overcoming a fear. As well, I love the useful memorials that we have studied and envision the pitcher sitting at the entrance to his dorm in Rome so that students can enjoy a glass of water when they return from exploring the city. Then, in a way, Beau can also take part in some of the adventures the city has to offer.

Lastly, similar to Liz’s shrine, the weight of the filled pitcher of water reminds me of the heaviness in my heart during this time. Knowing the pitcher will be emptied into the cups of tired, but enlightened, travellers before being refilled, lightens this pain and speaks to the everlasting memory of him in our lives.