E.O. Wilson and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation are attending events in the United Kingdom this week in support of the MEMO Project. First on the schedule of events is a ground-breaking ceremony November 3rd at Bower’s Quarry, the future site of the MEMO memorial. The Independent called MEMO “a construction project that [will] rival in scale the great medieval cathedrals of England.”
In the spring of 2014, the Foundation entered into a collaboration with the MEMO Project to expand the monument’s reach to global, wide-ranging audiences. Within this partnership, the Foundation will support off-site and online activities that will inspire and connect people with MEMO wherever they are, and build a renewed movement culture of citizens who are engaged in activities to preserve the living world. E.O. Wilson is also serving as a Patron of the MEMO Project.
MEMO is a spectacular monument, a beacon celebrating life on earth and honoring the species we have lost. It is a physical and virtual gathering place that fosters understanding of the importance of every species within the intricate web of life. Located on England’s Isle of Portland, a Geological World Heritage Site, this cliff-top stone structure is an art-science collaboration created by sculptors from around the world. MEMO is the seed and soul of a renewed public engagement with biodiversity and species extinction, building knowledge and inspiring global action to address this vital moral issue of our time.
Full Schedule of Events in the United Kingdom
November 3, 4 pm
Memo Project Ground-Breaking and Talk with E.O. Wilson
Bower’s Quarry, Wide Street, Portland DT5 2JP
November 4, 6 pm
E.O. Wilson Lecture on Biophilia
Second Home, 68 Hanbury Street, London, E1 5JL
November 6, 10 am
“What Is Stewardship? … And Why Does It Matter?”: Keynote Lecture by E.O. Wilson
Crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Institute, London EC4M 8AD
November 7, 6:30 pm
“An Evening with E.O. Wilson”
Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW
November 8, 4 pm
E.O. Wilson in Conversation with Sir Ghillean Prance (Chair of MEMO)
Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
Press Coverage
“Work To Start on Portland MEMO Extinction Monument.” BBC News. November 3, 2014.
“A Temple to 860 Lost Species Planned for Jurassic Coast.” The Independent (UK). November 3, 2014.
“Extinct Species Project Is Pushing Ahead.” Dorset Echo. November 3, 2014.
BBC Two’s Newsnight. November 6, 2014.
“Extinctions ‘Could Start to Spiral’.” The Independent. November 10, 2014.
“Duke of Edinburgh Lends Support to Portland MEMO Project.” Dorset Echo. November 10, 2014.
Artist’s impression of MEMO in-situ on the west cliffs of the Isle of Portland at the heart of the ‘Jurassic Coast’ Geological World Heritage Site. The very idea that species could go extinct was discovered here by “London’s Leonardo,” Robert Hooke, who found giant ammonite fossils in the Portland Stone quarried for the rebuilding of London’s public buildings following the Great Fire of 1666.Artist’s impression of MEMO © Adjaye Associates
MEMO is the seed and soul of a renewed public engagement with biodiversity and species extinction, building knowledge and inspiring global action to address this vital moral issue of our time. Please support us in our quest to bring this necessary and inspiring project to fruition. The E.O. Wilson Foundation is serving as the fiscal sponsor for U.S.-based donations. Donate now.
E.O. Wilson at the MEMO Project Ground-Breaking, Bower’s Quarry, Portland. Photograph by Mark Godden.
MEMO Ground-Breaking, November 3, 2014
“What Is Stewardship? … And Why Does It Matter?”: Keynote Lecture by E.O. Wilson, Crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, November 6, 2014
To learn more, visit http://www.memoproject.org/