Above and Beyond

The  most powerful statement I’ve seen on the war in Vietnam since “The Wall” went up…

The National Veterans Art  Museum (http://www.nvam.org/) in Chicago has an unusual work of  art.

When visitors first enter the museum, they will hear a sound like wind chimes coming from above them and  their attention will be drawn upward 24 feet to the ceiling of the two-story-high atrium.

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Dog tags of the more than 58,000 service men and women who died in the Vietnam War hang from the ceiling of the National Veterans Art Museum, in Chicago, on Veterans’ Day, November 11, 2010. The 10-by-40-foot sculpture, entitled “Above & Beyond,” was designed by Ned Broderick and Richard Stein.

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The tens of thousands of metal dog tags are suspended 24 feet in the air, one inch apart, from fine lines that allow them to move and chime with shifting air currents. Museum employees, using a kiosk and laser pointer, help visitors locate the exact dog tag with the imprinted name of a  lost friend or relative.

Thanks DH

 Update:  The Above and Beyond art installation is NOT currently on display due to a lack of space.  Please check the website for current info on when the Above and Beyond might be on display again.