‘Value for money is very much at the top of our minds,’ says committee member of monument set to cost up to £46m. A new national memorial to remember the late Queen could incorporate artificial intelligence, augmented reality or other new technology, organisers say.
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The government has earmarked a provisional construction budget of £23m-£46m for the permanent monument, which will stand in St James’s Park, central London. Artists, architects and engineers are being invited to compete to draw up the final design before a shortlist of applicants is announced in spring, and a final winner is announced in the summer.
Alex Holmes, deputy chief executive of the Diana Award, said: “Nothing is off the table. As a committee, we are looking into how digital has revolutionised some of the [country’s] attractions, and whether that’s AI or AR (augmented reality), [we’re] really fascinated by that.”.
The committee, chaired by Lord Janvrin, the late Queen’s former private secretary, has been canvassing public opinion on how to commemorate the longest reign in British history. Suggestions that the winning design could contain a digital element emerged from focus groups of young people.
Baroness Amos, the former leader of the House of Lords, said: “We do not want to be prescriptive about this. There are a set of guidelines and principles that we have set out. And we are then looking to those artists, those designers, to come up with the best ideas.
