Irish Hunger Memorial New York, NY

A ruined famine-era cottage from County Mayo in Ireland, donated to the project by the Slack family, is accessed from two paths, one that meanders across the landscape and another that connects diagonally through the base. This roofless structure recalls the desperate farmers who tore the thatch off their homes in order to prove destitution, and qualify for famine relief.
During the famine English landlords took advantage of the plight of the starving who could not pay for food, or more importantly from their point of view the RENT, by evicting them, often in the middle of winter into devastating conditions and without their possessions. To ensure they could not return, the roofs were torn down and walls knocked.
In the meantime, those landlords exported the food they grew while watching their tenants starve.