‘Grief’ monument to commemorate MH17 victims

Victims of the MH17 flight disaster are set to be commemorated in a monument reflecting the sun’s rays to light up their 298 names.

NOS reports that relatives of victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down in July 2014 have chosen a design by modern sculptor Ronald Westerhuis, from a choice of five proposals.

A steel wall, 6m high and 25m long, will be engraved with the names of the victims, about two-thirds of whom were Dutch. In front will stand a stainless steel sculpture shaped like an eye, which will reflect light onto the wall as the sun’s rays pass.

‘The steel will be a defence,’ the sculptor told NOS. ‘It stands for grief. And memory [the reflected sun] will literally light up the sadness.’

His monument is set to be built in the remembrance wood in Vijfhuizen, North Holland, and was supported by 161 votes (compared to 61 or fewer for other proposed designs).

Esther Visser, from the MH17 air disaster foundation, said they had hoped for a clear favourite when relatives were shown the design on May 21, to make it ‘easier’.