Grenfell Tower memorial idea claimed as ‘macabre’ & 'misery porn'

An architecture firm’s proposal for a memorial at Grenfell Tower in London has been described by Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad as ‘macabre’ and ‘misery porn’.

The Grenfell Tower site is located in Dent Coad’s constituency.

The architecture firm, JAA Studio has conceptualised a memorial at the site with the burnt-out building encased in a sarcophagus of 224 black concrete panels and a beacon lighting up at night from the apartment where the fire started.

A rooftop garden, a boxing club, a documentary gallery and a community centre are also part of the firm’s vision for the memorial.

JAA Studio said the burnt-out structure should not be built over because the ‘city needs its scars’.

Dent Coad, who had become an MP barely four days prior to the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, responded by saying that the proposal would turn the building into a ’misery porn theme park’. Observing that there was no plan to redevelop the site, she added that survivors wouldn’t want to be reminded of the tragedy every day.

JAA Studio has since clarified that the memorial idea was merely a concept and not a real proposal, with director Jenny Fleming blaming the media for distorting the information.

The Government retains control over the Grenfell Tower site, which is expected to be turned into a memorial to honour the memory of the victims.