Photo exhibit shows 9/11 loss

Real Estate Weekly, August 30, 2006 by Tim Moran

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation has unveiled a photography exhibition that captures the enormity of the loss that occurred at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 as well as the emotion and response felt in the wake of the events. The photographs are part of an outdoor photography exhibition, "here: remembering 9/ 11," which opened recently on the perimeter fence of the World Trade Center site.

Conceived by the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, the exhibition, "here: remembering 9/11" features a selection of 42 photographs from the archive of "here is new york: a democracy of photographs" which first opened in a Soho storefront on September 25, 2001 as an exhibition of professional and amateur photographs of the events of 9/11. The exhibition also features additional photographs commissioned for the fifth anniversary. The images will be displayed outdoors on the fence behind the Church Street entrance to the World Trade Center PATH Terminal. The panels are at least 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 feet in size.

The additional photographs are 10 newly-commissioned very large images of artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center site, photographed by Chris Callis. Some of the artifacts are well known parts of the Trade Center complex, including a section of the World Trade Center antenna and a turnstile from the PATH rapid-transit system. Some of the others include images of materials recovered from the site, including monumental, twisted pieces of steel.

World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Acting President Joseph C. Daniels said, "As we approach the fifth Anniversary, hundreds if not thousands of people from around the world come to Ground Zero every day. They come seeking to reflect on the events of September 11th, to remember the victims and to reconnect themselves to that feeling of unity in the aftermath of the attacks. This public exhibition provides this important emotional access."

Director of the World Trade Center Memorial Museum Alice M. Greenwald said, "This exhibition creates a dialogue between memory and loss and allows visitors to engage in the memory of September 11th. The "here" photographs focus on people as witness to events and as a community responding to tragedy, while the artifact photographs speak to the enormity of what happened at the Trade Center site. This exhibition reveals images of a traumatized community and nation which mourned, responded, and also moved towards healing in the aftermath of September 11th."

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, "While we look forward to a rebuilt and renewed World Trade Center site, we must never forget to look back at the tragic, senseless acts that occurred on the site on 9/11 and the deaths of so many innocent people. This exhibit will let others know that the Port Authority family will never forget what happened on that fateful day."

Port Authority Commissioner Christine A. Ferer, whose husband, Port Authority Executive Director Neil Levin, died in the terrorist attacks, said, "We must never forget the tragic images that were ingrained in all of us in the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, even as we move forward to rebuild the site. This exhibit depicts some of the images from that day, and will help all of us to reflect on the loss of life and on the heroism of so many brave people as we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11."