Tim LeCain Proposes Butte Environmental Memorial
Fallmouth, UK
23.11.2011
At an international workshop on “Ruin Memories,” LeCain suggested an environmental memorial at Berkeley Pit, Montana, USA in the spirit of the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima. The now-flooded Berkeley Pit is one of the largest bodies of toxic water in the world as acidic water has slowly been filling the pit since the Atlantic Richfield Company shutdown giant underground pumps in 1982. The pit is contaminated with dangerous levels of arsenic, cadmium, and other heavy metals, and is part of the nation’s largest Superfund site.
“Ruin Memories” is a multi-year project funded by the Norwegian Research Council to study the meaning and interpretation of modern ruins.