302 - Architecture Tour - The Jerold B. Katz Family Butterfly Loft

NARRATOR Architect Mark Mucasey and CEO Dr. Kelly Zúñiga explore the symbolism and purpose of the Butterfly Loft, located in the museum’s lobby. KELLY (VOZ FEMENINA) The Jerold B. Katz Family Butterfly Loft… shimmers with light. It’s the heart of our museum. And it reminds us, all of us, that compassion and courage make a difference. MARK My design for the butterfly loft was not just to give an atrium, not just to give a day lit area, and an organizer really, for the whole facility. I wanted that also to be an experience for our visitor. We created in that Butterfly Loft a way for children and other visitors to wrap their heads around the number 1.5. “One point five” is 1.5 million children that were killed in the Holocaust. KELLY So, it's difficult many, times for children to be able to understand or conceptualize when you have big numbers. And in our case, it's a huge number for the number of children that were in the Holocaust and perished, and that's 1.5 million children. MARK We are suspending a sculptural flock of butterflies from the top of that atrium that will spill down in a swarm. And there are 1500 of those butterflies that will be turning and twisting in the air conditioning that goes through the building. And the idea is that someone can look up and see that each one of those 1500 butterflies represents a thousand children that were killed. And the sheer magnitude of that number is something that I wanted to convey to a visitor when they came into the building. KELLY And we hope that it impacts you as far as the number and the meaning behind that number, but also makes you think of just the horrible aspect of-- if you could not even imagine losing children. I mean, ever. And it's just, it's such a painful thing to think about, but I think this does it in a beautiful way, which also makes you think, “Well, let's not let that ever happen again.” It's very hopeful, beautiful, beautiful sculpture.

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Holocaust Museum Houston

Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors’ legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, we teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice, and apathy.

 

  • 5401 Caroline
  • Houston United States
  • 713-942-8000
  • www.hmh.org