National Pulse Memorial & Museum (US)

The nightclub remains.

Inside is silence.

Together, we engage with this silence to realize our strength.

It is through collectively facing this silence that the energy of PULSE emerges.

The memorial is cast around the perimeter of this silence, delicately poised on the threshold that links what is outside to what happened within. The memorial’s form shelters visitors in an intimate embrace, revealing only a single wall of the nightclub.

Each face of the memorial is divided into seven sections, the number of colors in a rainbow. These 7 x 7 intersections intertwine as a shared space, honoring and protecting the 49 angels. On the west, the angels’ names are inscribed in colorful vertical bands, looking towards a tranquil garden. Facing east, the date of the shooting declares: We will never forget. The north and south recall a space of community and celebration.

Rising alongside the I-4, the museum resonates with the energy of the nightclub. Its curves embrace public spaces along West Kaley, tilting upwards to provide shade. At its heart is a matrix of flexible chambers that display PULSE artifacts and mementos. Within these folds of history and memory is a mixture of sound emerging from recording studios, conversations and community spaces.

These sounds spread further through the PULSE Music Label, which releases music that amplifies the strength of the PULSE and LGBTQ+ communities. From one person’s headphones to a nightclub halfway around the world, this is a people’s memorial that is enacted everywhere the music is heard.