This project is closely linked to its theme and becomes the proscenium to the theatre-in-the-round of its presentation. The visitor becomes the participator in the drama of violent and violated memory.

The architecture is not however overtly literal in its symbolism. Rather it exploits what is by now almost clichéd current technologies so as to elicit an emotive response and provoke a personal narrative. It reacts to the brashness of the mining culture and the recreational activities it has spawned - the gambling emporium for which it was the “sweetener” and the amusement park – and recontextualises these into the theatre of the museum. The screams of amusement of the riders of the big dipper take on an ominous and terrifying dimension. The project gives architectural expression in contemporary form to a yet unresolved past.

As a project that has set the tone and standard against which many of the post-apartheid signature buildings might be judged, and one that can justly be included in the international array of commemorative buildings, it is conferred with an Award for Excellence.