The latest plans for a London memorial to the Princess of Wales were made public this past weekend, five months after American landscape artist Kathryn Gustafson's initial designs were released.
The new, more detailed sketches reveal an enormous fountain the size of a football pitch, with two streams of flowing water – one cascading down a slope and the other into a pool.
Ms Gustafson, who was announced as the memorial's designer in July, said the contrasting halves reflect both the joy in the Princess' life as well as the difficult times she experienced. "At the top (of the fountain) water will bubble and effervesce, like champagne. On the other side there will be cascading white water, almost like the turmoil in her life. Then, at the end of the rapids, the water comes into a calm, serene pool."
The 50 by 80-metre oval-shaped monument is meant to capture Diana's "circle of life", says the designer. "The concept is based upon the qualities of the Princess that were most loved and cherished. These were inclusiveness and accessibility. It is an environment that you can walk into, be part of."
Diana's name will also appear on the memorial, possibly on a raised plaque or stone set into the ground. Construction on the project, which will be built south of the Serpentine in London's Hyde park, will begin next year, and is expected to be finished by summer 2004.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
