Tribute in Light

"Tribute in Light" 2014

"Tribute in Light" - 2016

Tribute in Light ( dt. : Homage to light) was originally a temporary installed light monument from 88 headlights that from March 11 to April 14, 2002 next to the former World Trade Center -Location Ground Zero were placed. The system was installed by the Municipal Art Society , a private New York non-profit monument protection organization . This created two columns of light shining vertically into the sky, which, in memory of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, replicated the towers of the destroyed World Trade Center.

Emergence

The concept came about a week after the attack after the Project for the Immediate Reconstruction of Manhattan's Skyline by the architects of PROUN Space Studio, John Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi.

Before September 11th, the artists Julian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda worked on the 91st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on behalf of The New York Times Magazine in a project called "Phantom Towers" on a model for a light sculpture, the image of which for the cover of The New York Times issue for September 23rd.

Richard Nash Gould, a New York architect and employee of a company whose SoHo office had a direct view of the World Trade Center, brought the concept to the Municipal Art Society . The chairman of this organization, Philip K. Howard, asked New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a letter on September 19, "to place two huge searchlights near Ground Zero, the rays of which are shining straight into the sky." (Original text: "[...]. To consider placing two large searchlights near the disaster site, projecting their light straight up into the sky." ).

History and expansion

National September 11 Memorial and Museum as viewed from the World Financial Center in June 2012

The memorial was reinstalled in 2003 on the second anniversary of the terrorist attack. Contrary to speculation about the continuation of the tradition in 2008, the Tribute in Light was activated for one night every year on September 11th to commemorate the victims until 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the attacks . With the opening on September 12, 2011, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum took over hosting the annual memorial event.

With the completion of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in May 2014, the memorial plaza , and thus also the light monument every September 11, will be open to visitors.

Luminosity

On clear nights, the pillars of light can be seen from up to 100 kilometers away and clearly visible from across New York City and the rural areas of northern New Jersey and Long Island , Fairfield, Connecticut , Westchester County and Rockland Counties . The pillars of light were even clearly observed from the terrace of the Centry Country Club in Purchase, New York , and pilots said they observed the pillars of light from their cockpit from the airspace over Cleveland . According to the company, the light should reach heights of up to 6600 meters.

Costs and financing

The installation, maintenance and surveillance of light monument cost 500,000 US dollars . The price for one of the 88 installed 7000 watt xenon gas discharge lamps is around 1200 US dollars. The main sponsor was the Municipal Art Society.

Problems with the lighting system

Dangers to birds

The intense luminosity of the monument means that thousands of birds fly into the cone of light as part of the bird migration and wander around there. Due to this fact, the light is switched off every 20 minutes to allow the birds to continue their flight.

Financial problems

The annual activation of the monument can no longer be guaranteed from 2011 due to financial problems. The Municipal Art Society therefore launched an appeal for donations in August 2011.

Name of the light monument

The monument was originally supposed to be named Towers of Light , but many people complained that the name highlighted the destroyed World Trade Center rather than the people killed.