The 9/11 Museum is about to return in its own way to two decades that forever changed the lives of Americans, after the tragic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers in the heart of Manhattan on September 11, 2001, which had caused some 3,000 victims. This museum, inaugurated in 2011, aims to be the guardian of collective memory and, above all, a message of hope, resilience and unity capable of raising the nation beyond all pain. Twenty years later, these lessons seem more important than ever. This is what is expressed on the official website of the museum on the eve of the commemoration ceremony scheduled in a few days. For those in charge, it was essential to recall their mission and that of the monument erected on “Ground Zero”: “To be a beacon of appeasement and renewal, a physical embodiment of the compassion shown towards one another and the determination, facing the world, to be a united front against an unjustifiable human tragedy. “
Luminous tribute to the two towers
The high point of this twentieth commemoration will be the reading of the names of the victims by members of their families. Throughout the ceremony, exclusively reserved for the latter, six moments of silence will be observed, corresponding respectively to the collision and the collapse of each of the towers of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of flight 93. from United Airlines. Places of worship will ring their bells simultaneously. At sunset, the Tribute in Light will light up the sky in remembrance of the anniversary of the attacks. This luminous tribute is a commemorative art installation that was presented for the first time six months after September 11, 2001. Then, in a sacred ritual, each year that followed, from dusk to dawn, on the night of 11 -September, thus becoming an iconic symbol that pays tribute to the victims and celebrates the unshakeable spirit of New York. The set consists of twin beams projecting into the sky up to a height of 6000 meters and illuminated by 88 xenon bulbs of 7000 watts, echoing the shape and orientation of the destroyed twin towers. The installation, which can be viewed within a radius of about 60 miles, encompassing lower Manhattan, was designed by several artists and designers united under the name Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. A commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 will also be held at the National Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., Created in memory of the successful United Airlines Flight 93 aircraft, along with its crew and travelers on board. , to foil an attack on the United States Capitol.
The starred elegy installation. Photo taken from the painter’s website, naotonagawata.com
Obligation to remember
A virtual exhibition was also produced, using 14 posters from archival photographs and images of artifacts taken from the museum’s permanent collection, while the alley called Tribute Walk was enriched with a new work. of art titled Stars of the Forest: Elegy for 9/11, signed by New York artist Naoto Nakagawa. In this large-scale painting, Nakagawa depicts the victims as brightly colored grass moss stars pitted against the sky. It was the parents of a flight attendant who was on board one of the planes that crashed into the North Tower who sponsored this installation.
Finally, the collateral victims were not forgotten, as were the volunteers and undocumented workers who were responsible for cleaning up Ground Zero and who subsequently contracted several illnesses, without receiving any assistance. A space was created for them as clarified by Elizabeth Miller, daughter of a firefighter who died following the attack of September 11 and responsible for collecting testimonies: “The museum is a historical institution with the obligation to relay all parts of the story. “Michael Shulan, director of the museum’s creative department, adds:” Twenty years of existence mark a turning point where we begin to look at things with a certain distance. Not asking questions would only provoke new questions and exacerbate tensions. In this spirit, he shares the opinion of Michael Frazier, former deputy director of external affairs of the museum, for whom “the 20th anniversary should be used to chart the future of the institution”. For its part, the Kennedy Center in Washington will present, under the leadership of its symphony orchestra, a Concert of Remembrance dedicated to the victims of September 11 and those of the pandemic.
In the aftermath of the first commemoration of August 4, 2020, Beirut and its citizens are still far from these appeased tributes. While waiting for those responsible for the tragedy to be arrested and tried, they continue, in great anger, to mourn their dead.
–
The 9/11 Museum is about to return in its own way to two decades that forever changed the lives of Americans, after the tragic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers in the heart of Manhattan on September 11, 2001, which had caused some 3,000 victims. This museum, inaugurated in 2011, aims to be the guardian of collective memory and, above all, a …
