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Boundaries by Maya Lin
After designing the starkly symbolic Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., when she was still an undergraduate, Maya Lin might have been doomed to spend the rest of her architecture career vainly trying to top herself. But 18 years later, her concerns clearly have nothing to do with self-aggrandizement. In Boundaries, Lin's lucid, soft-spoken collection of writings, she discusses how her work evolves, after a lengthy gestation, as a way of heightening viewers' awareness of a specific environment and perception of the passage of time. This temporal aspect can be a sequence of historical events (as in the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama) or a purely aesthetic quality, like the shifting play of light over a grassy field of sculpted earth (Wave Field at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor). "I like to think of my work as creating a private conversation with each person," Lin writes, "no matter how public each work is and no matter how many people are present." Understandably, Lin writes in greatest detail about the Vietnam memorial, a high-profile commission fraught with controversy because of its unusual form as well as the age, gender, and ethnicity of its American-born architect. But this engrossing, amply illustrated book also details the thinking and experimentation behind myriad other projects, including elemental sculptures, interiors, and furniture designed with an unusual degree of consideration for the user's needs. Influenced by her ceramist father, Lin always gravitated toward working directly with malleable materials--an experience that complements the rational precision of plans and blueprints (the Vietnam memorial first took shape as a mound of mashed potatoes). Boundaries reflects the same blend of close analysis, intuition, and quiet humility that marks Lin's public projects. --Cathy Curtis
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Maya Lin
17 books14 followersMaya Ying Lin (Chinese name 林璎, born October 5, 1959) is an American designer and artist who is known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. She came to fame as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 10, 2021
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most frequently visited public memorials under the maintenance and jurisdiction of the United States National Park Service. The memorial is a remembrance of those who gave their lives, and provides solace to those who are still alive--family, friends and veterans. What came to be known as the Vietnam War, and the involvement of the United States, was one of the most tumultuous, contentious and divisive periods in the modern history of our country. The history of the creation of the memorial was equally fraught with similar factors and circumstances. In his book, A rift in the Earth : art, memory, and the fight for a Vietnam War memorial, James Reston, Jr. documents the warlike road to creating a site of peaceful remembrance, and about the rather unlikely person who was its creator, Maya Lin.
In her senior year, majoring in archtecture at Yale University, Maya Lin submitted a proposal to a competition to design a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. All entrants were given numbers so that the proposals were judged soley on merit and adherence to requirements, one of which was to include the 57,000 names of those killed and missing. Lin's proposal was selected from 1,421 entrants. From the inception of her design, with the guidance and critiquing of her professor, who thought it was eccentric, to the completion of the memorial there were issues: it was a disrespectful monument; the designer was the target of virulent gender, racial and ageist comments and slurs; there were attempts to modify the original design; and up to, and including the day of the opening ceremony of the completed memorial, Maya Lin received cursory acknowledgement for her work. With time, opinions changed, and Maya LIn moved on with her life and her ability to brilliantly conceive of other memorials that would embody what she envisioned for her first design, "It's not meant to be cheerful or happy, but to bring out in people the realization of loss and a ... healing process." At some point she made the decision to stop creating memorials, and has proceeded with other work in architecture and sculpture.
Boundaries is an autobiographical account of her life told through the creative process that is foundational to who she has always been, even though she never dreamed of being an artist. As a child she was interested in animals and nature, had few friends but never felt lonely, and created her own world of paper houses and people. If there are connections to art, they come from her parents: her mother was a poet and her father a ceramicist, both of whom were immigrants from China to the United States. Her artistic inspiration often is based on curiosity and resulting research on many subjects. For an artist whose medium is visual, Lin has a great respect and connection with the written word and ideas. For her there are no separations, no boxes, only connections and expansions. The layout of this book is concentric with Maya Lin's explanation of who she is, where she comes from ethnically and culturally, and the ways she envisions her art. A companion book is Maya Lin: systematic landscapes. As a young university student, who was jettisoned onto the public stage with both acclaim and acrimony, she was not completely inured to the hatred and anger, but recovered. Maya Lin has been stalwart and true to herself and her art. I have a very strong feeling that she does not see herself as exceptional in any way, as an artist or as a human being, however Maya Lin is exceptional and peerless in what she creates and how she lives. She is a leader and innovator to whom we can look for our own inspiration. There is more information about Maya Lin's past and current architecture and art projects at the Maya Lin Studio.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
In her senior year, majoring in archtecture at Yale University, Maya Lin submitted a proposal to a competition to design a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. All entrants were given numbers so that the proposals were judged soley on merit and adherence to requirements, one of which was to include the 57,000 names of those killed and missing. Lin's proposal was selected from 1,421 entrants. From the inception of her design, with the guidance and critiquing of her professor, who thought it was eccentric, to the completion of the memorial there were issues: it was a disrespectful monument; the designer was the target of virulent gender, racial and ageist comments and slurs; there were attempts to modify the original design; and up to, and including the day of the opening ceremony of the completed memorial, Maya Lin received cursory acknowledgement for her work. With time, opinions changed, and Maya LIn moved on with her life and her ability to brilliantly conceive of other memorials that would embody what she envisioned for her first design, "It's not meant to be cheerful or happy, but to bring out in people the realization of loss and a ... healing process." At some point she made the decision to stop creating memorials, and has proceeded with other work in architecture and sculpture.
Boundaries is an autobiographical account of her life told through the creative process that is foundational to who she has always been, even though she never dreamed of being an artist. As a child she was interested in animals and nature, had few friends but never felt lonely, and created her own world of paper houses and people. If there are connections to art, they come from her parents: her mother was a poet and her father a ceramicist, both of whom were immigrants from China to the United States. Her artistic inspiration often is based on curiosity and resulting research on many subjects. For an artist whose medium is visual, Lin has a great respect and connection with the written word and ideas. For her there are no separations, no boxes, only connections and expansions. The layout of this book is concentric with Maya Lin's explanation of who she is, where she comes from ethnically and culturally, and the ways she envisions her art. A companion book is Maya Lin: systematic landscapes. As a young university student, who was jettisoned onto the public stage with both acclaim and acrimony, she was not completely inured to the hatred and anger, but recovered. Maya Lin has been stalwart and true to herself and her art. I have a very strong feeling that she does not see herself as exceptional in any way, as an artist or as a human being, however Maya Lin is exceptional and peerless in what she creates and how she lives. She is a leader and innovator to whom we can look for our own inspiration. There is more information about Maya Lin's past and current architecture and art projects at the Maya Lin Studio.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
November 26, 2022
Love that this book was many things at once -- prose, poetry, art. These dimensions add an experiential element to Lin's message that you don't always get in more traditional books.
Lin is not only an architect, artist, and environmental steward, but is really a geographer at heart. Increasingly aware of the place-building effects that her work has -- particularly at the margins of how we define and experience place, working with the notion of time and incorporating participatory elements for viewers -- Lin reminds the reader of the power of art and architecture in creating the landscape, and in turn, the power of the landscape on shaping people's perception of a place. Many of us exist outside of different identities -- finding our purpose in the margins, the overlapping space where defined life paths, careers intersect. Lin reminds the reader that existence in this place is possible and that you don't need to justify your existence or identity -- you don't have to "find a reason" for your interests or who you are -- or change to fit expectations or make others feel comfortable.
Lin's meditations on minimalism, topographies, and the natural landscape are simply, but beautifully, stated. Coupled with the visual elements (pictures) provided in the book, Lin's book creates an experience in time for the reader that exhibits a "quiet order", still leaving space for reflection -- just like her other artworks and installations.
Some notable quotes:
"I do not want to see architecture as a dividing line between inside and outside. Instead I would like to create a fluid transition between a building and its site, so that you will always feel connected to the land."
"But it is this reliance on the intuitive nature of balancing a competition that interests me. I do not think you can find a reason for everything you make."
"These spaces are as much about the intangible aspects of architecture: light, air, sounds, and touch. They are about how a place feels."
"I want to understand simplicity not as a rigid minimalist ideal, in which a formula toward spareness is almost religiously pursued, but to see it as a composition of forms, materials, and textures that is fundamentally quiet."
"It is a belief I have. The insertion of a quiet order. If you are paying attention, you may notice it; if not, you won't. It's indicative of how I like to work with a site: creating a work that quietly merges with its site so that there remains an ambiguity if it is man-made or a naturally occurring phenomenon."
Lin is not only an architect, artist, and environmental steward, but is really a geographer at heart. Increasingly aware of the place-building effects that her work has -- particularly at the margins of how we define and experience place, working with the notion of time and incorporating participatory elements for viewers -- Lin reminds the reader of the power of art and architecture in creating the landscape, and in turn, the power of the landscape on shaping people's perception of a place. Many of us exist outside of different identities -- finding our purpose in the margins, the overlapping space where defined life paths, careers intersect. Lin reminds the reader that existence in this place is possible and that you don't need to justify your existence or identity -- you don't have to "find a reason" for your interests or who you are -- or change to fit expectations or make others feel comfortable.
Lin's meditations on minimalism, topographies, and the natural landscape are simply, but beautifully, stated. Coupled with the visual elements (pictures) provided in the book, Lin's book creates an experience in time for the reader that exhibits a "quiet order", still leaving space for reflection -- just like her other artworks and installations.
Some notable quotes:
"I do not want to see architecture as a dividing line between inside and outside. Instead I would like to create a fluid transition between a building and its site, so that you will always feel connected to the land."
"But it is this reliance on the intuitive nature of balancing a competition that interests me. I do not think you can find a reason for everything you make."
"These spaces are as much about the intangible aspects of architecture: light, air, sounds, and touch. They are about how a place feels."
"I want to understand simplicity not as a rigid minimalist ideal, in which a formula toward spareness is almost religiously pursued, but to see it as a composition of forms, materials, and textures that is fundamentally quiet."
"It is a belief I have. The insertion of a quiet order. If you are paying attention, you may notice it; if not, you won't. It's indicative of how I like to work with a site: creating a work that quietly merges with its site so that there remains an ambiguity if it is man-made or a naturally occurring phenomenon."
June 23, 2011
Maya Lin is Chinese-American artist and architect. She completed her studies at Yale University. Maya Lin is best known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC and the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. I re-read this book periodically as it gives me a sense of peace. I hope to see her installation, "Storm King Wavefield" near Mountainville, NY this autumn. The photographs of her work give an escape and provide a sense of tranquillity. Her narratives describing the development of her various installations are very interesting and reveal the depth of thought and careful attention that are incorporated into each of her works of art.
May 24, 2012
I love her words. She designs first with a narrative to describe the character of a project, and from that comes beautful works. It's easy to see that each project is an honest exploration of character rather than an interjection of what the artist or architect would like to see happen. In this way her projects are well rooted, deriving power from their surrounding and history. I can only hope to experience more of her "quiet" spaces in the future.
August 20, 2022
Personally, I am not so much interested in her work. I am way, way more interested in her process. Though I do enjoy the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, I cannot say the same for the rest of her work. I simply find them too abstract and sculptural-leaning-fine-arts which never made much sense to me, anyway. However, her methodology of writing a detailed essay about what she wants to accomplish, months of research, then continuous modeling is interesting to me and I'd love to try and adapt them. I do appreciate the significant temporal aspect of all her work, such as the wave field. her writing is beautifully poetic too Light read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2018
This is one of the few books that I finished in one seating. I was captivated by the fluidity of her language and the clarity of her thoughts. She caught my attention as the young architecture behind the Vietnam War Memorial. Yet, the maturity in her reasons and methodologies transcended her age. She opened up about the controversy surrounding the construction of her design with ease. I can feel the intimacy of her language as if she is talking to readers individually. Through this book, you'll be indulged by Maya's mastery of both forms and words.
August 18, 2019
I am absolutely in love with Maya Lin’s work. Her book is beautiful in size, shape and through the texture of her words. She breaks down process and the philosophy behind what compels her sculptures, her earthwork, furniture and architecture designs. She is relentless about challenging boundaries and refuses to pick between sculpture and architecture just as she refuses to separate building or earthwork from landscape and the earth. I want to know her IRL and have so many conversations about boundaries and borders and being in-between.
October 15, 2018
4.25 / 5.0
Insightful discussion of her inspiration and philosophy as expressed in 12 thematic works. Plenty of pictures both display beauty of installations and accentuate relationship to described narrative and body of work.
Insightful discussion of her inspiration and philosophy as expressed in 12 thematic works. Plenty of pictures both display beauty of installations and accentuate relationship to described narrative and body of work.
January 24, 2022
I read this book quickly due to a shortage of time, but it could be pondered and gazed at over several weeks. Maya Lin gives a generous and thoughtful analysis of her artistic process. The book is informative and inspirational.
June 26, 2024
its a very interesting book, with great visuals. lin is an interesting artist/architect in terms of her broad practice. she makes a couple of naff statements when she writes beyond her actual practice. there's a collab featured in the book with her brother, poet tan lin.
May 4, 2020
Design. Verbal and visual sketchbook. a favorite book of mine, it is beautiful, intelligent – very special.
January 1, 2021
One of my favorite read in 2020
September 20, 2021
A lovely book...her thoughts and her work...
October 17, 2021
I love it!!!
سعيدة بالصدفة اللي خلتني اقرأه في الوقت المناسب، وسعيدة إني تعرفت على مايا لين أكثر وعلى أعمالها المبهرة.
سعيدة بالصدفة اللي خلتني اقرأه في الوقت المناسب، وسعيدة إني تعرفت على مايا لين أكثر وعلى أعمالها المبهرة.
July 7, 2023
there is no review I could make
There is no review I could make to equal the reverence I have for Ms. Lin’s work. Bless you, Maya
There is no review I could make to equal the reverence I have for Ms. Lin’s work. Bless you, Maya
January 3, 2024
Very drawn to Lin’s processes and influences.
November 24, 2024
Started this book in my poetry class, decided to finish it tonight. Maya Lin is such a fabulous, thoughtful, innovative artist and her work is so wonderful, inspiring
December 5, 2020
i think what i enjoyed most were the moments she described her process for specific projects. i do admire the thoroughness in which she researches before a design, though at times she came off a bit aloof in reasoning or pretentious (tho that’s just the architect way... i can say that im in landscape). and though she said by the end she didn’t want to be typecast as a memorial designer i think that’s definitely a foot in a field that warrants a little more of the thoughtfulness she contributed. did that sound too landscape archy. well it’s true.
February 9, 2013
Loved to hear from this engaged and engaging personality about her process, but, strangely, the most enduring bit of information is the way she chose the dimensions of the book itself-- to be somewhere between the size of a book that you carry with you to read on the subway and the size of an art monograph that sits on coffee tables. I found myself thinking about this simple choice the whole time I was reading, and it was a fascinating meditation on the ergonomics of the book form.
April 28, 2007
Absolutely breathtaking. If you are an admirer of her work, from the war memorial to the water table commemorating women at Yale, check this out. It's a wonderful, thoughtful retrospective of some of her work. Beautifully done, and quite compelling as she writes about the work as well.
August 12, 2009
I love to read about how others approach their work and Maya Lin's process and design/architecture and thoughts always are compelling and moving.
June 10, 2008
Elegant and thought-provoking, just like her art.
August 4, 2009
Enjoyed reading the story/history/details behind the works....but wished more/better pictures to go along with.
December 23, 2009
A great mind, creative, humanitarian architect. There is also a wonderful documentary about her: >i
May 2, 2011
Maya Lin makes the most beautiful ideas come to life. This book gives a glimpse into some of her work.
July 9, 2011
so incredibly beautiful...deserves more recognition
September 8, 2014
Certain projects should receive more in-depth coverage, otherwise I'd give it five stars.
February 28, 2016
Excellent artistic view and creation. I would've liked to see improvement to photos in the book
November 8, 2008
Very interesting book about the creation of the Vietnam Memorial.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews