It has now been 16 years since one of the worst days in American history — a tragedy that many of us will remember forever. On this anniversary, it is a good time to reflect.
Each year on this date, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum has a “Tribute in Light”. This is
“a commemorative public art installation first presented six months after 9/11 and then every year thereafter, from dusk to dawn, on the night of September 11. It has become an iconic symbol that both honors those killed and celebrates the unbreakable spirit of New York.”
“For 2017, we are extraordinarily grateful to the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which stepped forward to be our first presenting sponsor for Tribute in Light. Through its generosity, we were also able to launch a program for small businesses in lower Manhattan — our neighboring hotels, retailers and restaurants — to come together and support this iconic tribute.”
“Assembled on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage south of the 9/11 Memorial, the twin beams reach up to four miles into the sky and are comprised of 88 7,000-watt xenon light bulbs in two 48-foot squares, echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. Tribute in Light was conceived by several artists and designers who were brought together by the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time.”
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum also has available online multimedia information about an incredible exhibit called “Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11.” Click on the preceding link to see the summary. Here is a video clip about one of the works of art. It is very moving. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum says about the clip:
“Papers, letters, business forms, and personal notes flutter through the air in this film by the creative collective, Blue Man Group. Inspired by the scraps of paper that blew from the World Trade Center into the yard of their rehearsal space in Brooklyn on Sept. 11, the members of Blue Man Group wrote the song, “Exhibit 13,” featuring spoken recitations of the papers’ contents, and created the accompanying video, both named after one of the scorched pieces of paper they found. Blue Man Group members Chris Wink, Matt Goldman,and Phil Stanton are New York residents and were in various locations in Manhattan on 9/11. The performance group is based in New York.”
By creating a film about paperwork, the Blue Man Group is sending a message of more importance than just documents, but rather a visual memorial to the victims of 9/11. The short film is moving and strong in symbolism.
September 11, 2001, clearly a most tragic day in our history. A day we should never forget and must not forget. Many lives were lost needlessly because of a radical group of people who did not value a life. Our government and the people of our country must continue to make sure that this type of tragic event never happens again and that we must continue to pay our respects to those lives lost on that day. The Carnegie Corporation of New York should be lauded as being the first corporation to pay tribute to this unfortunate day and I believe that many other corporations and those individuals who could afford to do the same, should follow in Carnegie Corporation’s foot steps.