9/11 10 years after

[dave lackey]

There were photos made by RFF members about the tragedy of 9/11. Is there anyone actually doing a re-shoot to document the changes at the 10 year mark?🙁

 

[dave lackey]

There are a lot of New Yorkers here, right? No one is photographing the area for the 10 year mark?😕

 

[andredossantos]

It's a bit difficult to get interesting shots of the site as its mostly walled off and inaccessible save for a small area with an overlook.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Dave,

It's an interesting philosophical question. How far should one let things go? Has anyone photographed sites affected by IRA bombs? Should they?

Cheers,

R.

 

[KenR]

I think that most New Yorkers felt violated and that a bit of their hearts were ripped out of their chests - everyone knew somebody who had died or a family that had lost somebody. I couldn't bring myself to photograph the many spontaneous memorials at the site and at firehouses and police stations for many months. By the time I said to myself that I should make a record of these things, they were gone. Access to "the pile" was very restricted after the first day or so, only a few photographers got access. After a while it was a giant construction site, a special one, but still a construction site. On 9/11 access will be very limited - officials and familys leaving no opportunity for photography.

 

[Bob Michaels]

There were photos made by RFF members about the tragedy of 9/11. Is there anyone actually doing a re-shoot to document the changes at the 10 year mark?🙁

I photographed the 5th anniversary on 9/11/06 and am considering returning for the 10th. It is all about the people, not the buildings for me.

I made one of my favorite photos that day. But it makes people uncomfortable. The fact that it generates emotion is what I like about it.

People seem to prefer a more personally ambiguous photo

 

[robklurfield]

Driving into NYC yesterday, I noticed that "Freedom Tower" continues to rise onto the skyline, now something above 60 stories. I would like to visit the Memorial reflecting pools soon. The new tower seems like a prosthetic limb replacing one lost in battle.

 

[robklurfield]

Bob, I like that shot. It's a good thing to make people uncomfortable about this. After all, 9/11 unleashed some of the best and some of the worst in the human race. And, about that, we should never become complacent. We live in world where nihilistic violence co-exists uneasily with selfless sacrifice. Being uncomfortable in the face of that is entirely appropriate.

 

[Colin Corneau]

On this topic:

I cannot recommend enough a book by a terrific photographer named Steve Simon, called "Empty Sky".

He took a documentary photography take on 9/11 and its aftermath...very well done and great photographs as always.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Bob, I like that shot. It's a good thing to make people uncomfortable about this. ........................... .

The man in the photo holds a photo of his wife, Renee Newell, an American Airlines employee who was aboard AA flight #11. Her mother holds a photo in the background.

I watched a woman holding a rose scan with her finger down a bronze tablet of fallen NYFD firefighters. Her finger stopped and rested on a name. I looked into her face and it really hit me.

I shook hands with the remaining guys from Ten House. I thought I have met some real honest to goodness heroes.

I only wish I would be able to convey the emotions I felt in my photos.

 

[dave lackey]

Great photos, Bob! That was kind of what I had in mind...people.

Rob, you know, no one in this area of the country has even seen a photo or even knew that 60 stories of some kind of new building was already built!

That is why I think it is important for some kind of commemorative photos be available to the public. It is as if it is a New York secret when the rest of us who cannot hope to visit New York have not a clue as to what is going on. It is not even on CNN, let alone our local news.🙄

 

[andredossantos]

Dave: I dont think its on the news because the building that Rob mentioned is where "WTC 7" once stood. This was across the street from the Twin Towers. It collapsed the evening of 9-11 due to structural damage.

In the Twin Tower site, they have only broke ground as of yet, I believe.

Edit: I'm an idiot, see my post below. What I wrote above is wrong.

 

[dffman2001]

Not a secret at all. World trade center 1 - will be the tallest tower in USA at 1776 feet (inc spire) is already the tallest building in downtown Manhattan at 76 stories (this was in the news only this week - http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07...ficially-tallest-building-in-lower-manhattan/)

7 WTC was completely rebuilt and is now a functioning office building, I believe with Moodys as a major tenant.

The central WTC site, bounded by West, Vesey, Church, and Liberty streets will contain 4 office towers, a transportation hub, a performing arts center, and a memorial site. The memorial site will open in a little over a month, initially to the families, then to the general public. I've reserved my viewing already in late-mid september. (http://www.911memorial.org/) The memorial pond that are sunken are the exact footprints of the twin towers.

The other 4 building are somewhat spiraled around the memorial site in descending heights, WTC 1, 2, 3, and 4. WTC 1 which is also known as the freedom tower should be topped off early 2012. 4 WTC is now 35 stories high, glass started going on earlier this spring. 2 and 3 are not yet visible on street level. The transport hub designed by Santiago Calatrava is already taking shape.

You can check the progress here: http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/

I live just 3 blocks away from the WTC site for the past year - it's been quite incredible how much change there has been in the last 12 months in terms of construction.

here are some photos of the WTC from my blog: http://ernesthon.com/tagged/WTC

 

[kbg32]

I saw the towers in flames and smoking from the rooftop of my 5 storied building. I went down there to see what I could do. I saw people jump to their deaths. I was there when the towers fell. I saw people throw up around me with the thought of all those who were dying at that moment. The dust cloud was enormous. I ran and ran and I didn't stop running until I got to Chinatown's Columbus Park. Funny, I don't even remember hearing anything. Only what I saw. I wanted to help, but was prevented from doing so. The last thing on my mind was photographing though I had my camera with me.

The whole area should be free from all commerce and fees to enter. It won't be. From ground level there is hardly anything to see but construction. Very few have access to see from above.

 

[robklurfield]

What was to be called the Freedom Tower, is now officially, by law, called "One World Trade." As of yesterday, the construction has risen to 78 stories, but the concrete workers union walked off the job on August 1.

From the Huffington Post...

"
Hundreds of concrete workers walked off the job at the World Trade Center site Monday one month after their contract expired.
While the strike affects 1 WTC (formerly Freedom Tower) the Port Authority insists the work stoppage will not affect the 9/11 Memorial, which is slated to be finished by the tenth anniversary of the attacks.
"It's a horrible situation, you know? We built this city and they want to take money away from us, in this bad economy," John Hardt of the Cement and Concrete Workers Union told NY1.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the strike may affect more than just the tower."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/01/concrete-workers-strike-_n_915365.html


And a link to a Wikipedia article about that history of the site and construction:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_World_Trade_Center#cite_note-89

 

[dave lackey]

Well, there ya go! Thanks dffman2001!🙂

 

[robklurfield]

The new tower as of a few days ago...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:O...nder_construction_July_31_2011_from_below.jpg

Not my photo but one with a creative commons license, so I hope I'm not violating anything by republishing this image here (mods, spank me if I'm being bad).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:O...ction_July_31_2011_from_below.jpg#filehistory

IMAGE USED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE. Thanks to the artist/author: Beyond My Ken

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License.

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.

You are free:

• to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
• to remix – to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

• attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
• share alike – If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

 

[dave lackey]

Thanks Rob...great links!🙂

 

[andredossantos]

Wow well I was completely wrong! Jeez, apologies for the misinformation! I was also living right there, about 20 blocks north from the WTC and watched the whole thing unfold from my roof. We were advised to evacuate and my too roommates and I ran across the Manhattan bridge to a friends apartment in Dumbo. The whole day is a blur and mostly I remember the raw emotions and the angst wondering if those that I knew who were there working were alive or not. I live at the opposite end of Manhattan now and as I work uptown as well I dont get downtown as often as I would like.

It's pretty shamefull I was so wrong when it came to knowing what had been rebuilt at the site. Last time I was there in person was probably about a year ago! In any case, I'm glad to hear how wrong I was!

 

[kshapero]

Driving into NYC yesterday, I noticed that "Freedom Tower" continues to rise onto the skyline, now something above 60 stories. I would like to visit the Memorial reflecting pools soon. The new tower seems like a prosthetic limb replacing one lost in battle.

Yes, on my way beck from the Mts in New England I drove thru NJ along the Hudson. You can not help but notice the NYC skyline. The new Freedom Tower gets bigger each time I drive by. But somehow it looks so sterile.