Tribute in Light
Encyclopedia
The Tribute in Light is an art installation of 88 searchlight
s placed next to the site of the World Trade Center
to create two vertical columns of light in remembrance of the September 11 attacks. It is produced annually by The Municipal Art Society
of New York. It initially ran as a temporary installation from March 11 to April 14, 2002, and was launched again in 2003 to mark the second anniversary of the attack. , it has been repeated every year on September 11. It had been announced that 2008 would be its final year, but the tribute was continued in 2009. On December 17, 2009, it was confirmed that the tribute would continue through to the tenth anniversary of the attacks in 2011.
, conceived of a project called "Phantom Towers". They were commissioned by The New York Times Magazine
to create an image of the project for its September 23 cover.
Richard Nash Gould, a New York architect, presented the concept to the Municipal Art Society
. Gould was part of a firm whose SoHo
office looked on the World Trade Center. Other projects by Gould include Howard, Darby & Levin in New York City
and Polo Sport, Ralph Lauren
in New York City. On September 19, Municipal Art Society chairman Philip K. Howard wrote to Mayor Rudy Giuliani
, asking him "to consider placing two large searchlights near the disaster site, projecting their light straight up into the sky."
After some consideration it was decided to contact lighting experts in the field of high intensity light displays. A Las Vegas
company was chosen to help design the installation and to supply the 88 fixtures that would be needed.
The project was originally going to be named "Towers of Light", but the victims' families felt that the name emphasized the buildings destroyed instead of the people killed.
On clear nights, the lights could be seen from over 60 miles away, visible in all of New York City
and most of suburban Northern New Jersey
and Long Island
, Fairfield County, Connecticut
, Westchester County, Orange County and Rockland County, New York
. The beams were clearly visible from the terrace at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York
, from at least as far west as western Morris County, in Flanders, New Jersey
, at least as far as the barrier beach of Fire Island, and as far south near Trenton, New Jersey
in nearby Hamilton
.
Since 2008, the generators that power Tribute in Light have been fueled with biodiesel
made from recycled cooking oil.
The lights have caused confusion for thousands of migrating birds, trapping them in the beams, and requiring that the lights be switched off for 20 minute periods to allow the birds to escape. To ensure the lights do not affect migrating birds, the Municipal Art Society works with the New York City Audubon
on the illumination.
's music video for "Color of Love".
The "Tribute in Light" also made a notable appearance during the opening credits of Spike Lee
's 2002 film 25th Hour
.
The "Tribute in Light" has appeared in the Spider-Man 2
Video Game for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube as a Virtual Memorial.
New York City°N date=July 2009°W
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
s placed next to the site of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
to create two vertical columns of light in remembrance of the September 11 attacks. It is produced annually by The Municipal Art Society
Municipal Art Society
The Municipal Art Society of New York, founded in 1893, is a non-profit membership organization that fights for intelligent urban planning, design and preservation through education, dialogue and advocacy in New York City....
of New York. It initially ran as a temporary installation from March 11 to April 14, 2002, and was launched again in 2003 to mark the second anniversary of the attack. , it has been repeated every year on September 11. It had been announced that 2008 would be its final year, but the tribute was continued in 2009. On December 17, 2009, it was confirmed that the tribute would continue through to the tenth anniversary of the attacks in 2011.
Development
Those working on the project came up with the concept in the week following the attack. Architects John Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi of PROUN Space Studio distributed their "Project for the Immediate Reconstruction of Manhattan's Skyline". Artists Julian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda, who before September 11 were working on the 91st floor of the World Trade Center north tower on a proposed light sculpture on the giant radio antenna with Creative TimeCreative Time
Creative Time is a New York-based nonprofit arts organization. It was founded in 1973 to support the creation of innovative, site-specific, socially engaged works in the public realm, especially in vacant spaces of historical and architectural interest...
, conceived of a project called "Phantom Towers". They were commissioned by The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
to create an image of the project for its September 23 cover.
Richard Nash Gould, a New York architect, presented the concept to the Municipal Art Society
Municipal Art Society
The Municipal Art Society of New York, founded in 1893, is a non-profit membership organization that fights for intelligent urban planning, design and preservation through education, dialogue and advocacy in New York City....
. Gould was part of a firm whose SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
office looked on the World Trade Center. Other projects by Gould include Howard, Darby & Levin in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Polo Sport, Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
in New York City. On September 19, Municipal Art Society chairman Philip K. Howard wrote to Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, asking him "to consider placing two large searchlights near the disaster site, projecting their light straight up into the sky."
After some consideration it was decided to contact lighting experts in the field of high intensity light displays. A Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
company was chosen to help design the installation and to supply the 88 fixtures that would be needed.
The project was originally going to be named "Towers of Light", but the victims' families felt that the name emphasized the buildings destroyed instead of the people killed.
On clear nights, the lights could be seen from over 60 miles away, visible in all of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and most of suburban Northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, Westchester County, Orange County and Rockland County, New York
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
. The beams were clearly visible from the terrace at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
, from at least as far west as western Morris County, in Flanders, New Jersey
Flanders, New Jersey
Flanders is an unincorporated area located in Mount Olive Township and parts of Roxbury Township, in southwest Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Flanders is served by the United States Postal Service as ZIP Code 07836....
, at least as far as the barrier beach of Fire Island, and as far south near Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
in nearby Hamilton
Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
.
Since 2008, the generators that power Tribute in Light have been fueled with biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
made from recycled cooking oil.
The lights have caused confusion for thousands of migrating birds, trapping them in the beams, and requiring that the lights be switched off for 20 minute periods to allow the birds to escape. To ensure the lights do not affect migrating birds, the Municipal Art Society works with the New York City Audubon
New York City Audubon
New York City Audubon is an American non-profit environmental organization incorporated in 1979. The group’s mission reads in part: “New York City Audubon is a grassroots community that works for the protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all...
on the illumination.
Media appearances
The "Tribute in Light" has been featured in Boyz II MenBoyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
's music video for "Color of Love".
The "Tribute in Light" also made a notable appearance during the opening credits of Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
's 2002 film 25th Hour
25th Hour
25th Hour is a 2002 American drama film directed by Spike Lee and is based on the novel The 25th Hour written by David Benioff, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox...
.
The "Tribute in Light" has appeared in the Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
Video Game for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube as a Virtual Memorial.
See also
- 9/11 Memorial (Arizona)9/11 Memorial (Arizona)The 9/11 Memorial in Arizona is a state memorial to the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001, located at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near the State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona. The monument is a circular plan with a flat inclined metal ring...
- Flight 93 National MemorialFlight 93 National MemorialThe Flight 93 National Memorial is located at the site of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked in the September 11 attacks, in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, about north of Shanksville, and southeast of Pittsburgh. The memorial was made to honor the passengers of Flight...
, Shanksville, PennsylvaniaShanksville, PennsylvaniaShanksville is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 245, as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area and is approximately 60 miles southeast from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, under construction - Memorials and services for the September 11 attacks
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum, memorial at the World Trade Center siteWorld Trade Center siteThe World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
- Pentagon MemorialPentagon MemorialThe Pentagon Memorial, located just southwest of The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, is a permanent outdoor memorial to the 184 men and women who lost their lives as victims of the attack, killed both in the building and on American Airlines Flight 77 in the September 11, 2001...
External links
- The Municipal Art Society of New York, annual producers of The Tribute in Light
- Tribute in Light Video
- "Save the Tribute in Light memorial", October 13, 2008
- "For Now, How About A Monument of Light?", New York Post, September 20, 2001
- Creativetime.org: Tribute in Light — official website
- "The Genesis of the Tribute in Light" — (large Flash media file) Artists tell the story of designing the memorial
- "Filling the Void", The New York Times Magazine, September 23, 2001 — (partial archive)
- "From 88 Searchlights, an Ethereal Tribute", The New York Times, March 4, 2002 — (partial archive)
- Richard Nash Gould Architects — official website
- Additional photographs of the installation
- Tribute in Light 2008- 360 VR (Virtual Reality)/ Photos of the Tribute Lights (2004-2009)
New York City°N date=July 2009°W