After studying centuries of monumental spaces in Rome, I explored how monumentality might feel if the honorees were not gods or rulers but innocents without freedom or power. 

The largest stadium in ancient Rome, Circus Maximus, was used for gladiatorial events and wild animal fights. The venue stretched across the Valley of Murcia between Rome’s Aventine and Palatine hills. Today, the expansive space is a protected ruin—a perfect setting for a theoretical monument.   

With After Maximus, I imagined a confined passage that progresses through soaring earthen walls. Recalling the experience of captives who perished there, tension builds as walls rise until spatial compression culminates and releases into a light-filled escape. The simple, verdant bowl brings relief and encourages remembrance.