Suffer with no tears, live not cursing,
and be peacefully unhappy.
Tears are vain, and laments
won't ease the bitter sleep.
Give yourself to the drunken wind of life,
let it whirl you where it will;
let yourself be carried like a leaf,
in the mad whirlwind.
Fly like a spinning leaf caught by a gust of wind,
for flight, my soul, you were created.
Not meant for the earth, nor for rest eternal
Is a flower without roots.
Tin Ujević, Plaything of Winds
Memorial architecture in Croatia holds important creations on a European, even global level. Think of the awe-inspiring and surreal limited form of the Stone Flower at the Jasenovac Memorial Site, created by architect Bogdan Bogdanović, the monument on Peter’s Mountain by Vojin Bakić, created decades before Gehry’s famous works, or the dry-wall crosses made in remembrance of twelve dead firemen on the Kornati Islands, made by Nikola Bašić. All of these works point out the invisible connection between architecture, sculpture and environment. Interwoven, these elements defend their utilitarian aspect, and through their abstract nature gift the works with timeless meaning.