Reflecting Absence

Reflecting Absence
Name	Reflecting Absence
Location	Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York (state)
Coordinates	40.7115°N 74.0134°W
Designer	Michael Arad, Peter Walker
Type	Memorial
Dedicated	September 11, 2011
Commemorates	Victims of the September 11 attacks, USS Cole bombing, 1993 World Trade Center bombing

Reflecting Absence is the official memorial installation at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum site in Lower Manhattan that honors victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The installation comprises a pair of sunken pools set within the footprints of the original World Trade Center towers and is accompanied by a grove of trees, engraved names, and surrounding plaza designed to create a contemplative public space. It was designed by architect Michael Arad with landscape architect Peter Walker and unveiled on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Background and Concept

Arad's winning design emerged from an international competition mediated by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Victims' Families Memorial Foundation, and other stakeholders including Mayoral offices during debates among figures such as Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, and leaders of families of victims. The concept responded to precedents like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Maya Lin, the contemplative geometry of Lincoln Memorial by Henry Bacon, and water features in memorials such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Judges and critics referenced installations by Daniel Libeskind, Norman Foster, and Renzo Piano during the selection process; the proposal sought to balance exigencies voiced by representatives linked to United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency with artistic concerns championed by institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the Architectural League of New York.

Design and Materials

Reflecting Absence consists of two square reflecting pools nearly an acre in area each, recessed 30 feet below grade, with the largest man-made waterfalls in North America cascading into voids. Materials include bronze panels, granite paving stones, and bronze parapets inscribed with nearly 3,000 names using an arrangement influenced by principles employed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and consultations with typographers who have worked on projects at the Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress. The surrounding plaza features swamp white oak trees and honey locusts procured and sited using horticultural practices informed by specialists from institutions such as the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Structural engineering involved firms experienced with projects at John F. Kennedy International Airport and waterfront work on the Hudson River; waterproofing and pump systems incorporated technologies used in large installations by companies that have supplied work to Metropolitan Museum of Art and Guggenheim Museum renovations.

Installation and Locations

The pools occupy the footprints of the North Tower and South Tower on the World Trade Center site, adjacent to new structures including One World Trade Center designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the National September 11 Museum designed by Davis Brody Bond, and transit infrastructure reconstructed by Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Installation required staged excavations coordinated with construction teams from firms that have worked on projects for Consolidated Edison and in partnership with preservation advocates such as the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The memorial plaza opened with a dedication ceremony attended by dignitaries including the President of the United States at the time, heads of state, and representatives from organizations like the American Red Cross and the United Nations.

Reception and Criticism

Public and critical response has ranged from praise by cultural institutions such as the American Institute of Architects and commentators from publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian to criticism from family members and activists associated with groups like the 9/11 Families United and authors who argued for alternative treatments promoted by designers such as Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid. Debates focused on issues raised by historians at Columbia University, journalists from The Wall Street Journal, and curators from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum over name arrangement, site security, and commercialization concerns voiced by civic leaders including members of the New York City Council. Legal and logistical disputes involved agencies such as the New York State Court system and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Symbolism and Interpretation

Interpreters and scholars have linked the pools' voids to a lineage of void-based memorials including works by Anish Kapoor and public voids at sites like Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The continuous flow of water has been compared to motifs in Michelangelo-era fountains and contemporary installations by artists such as Olafur Eliasson; the engraved names prompted comparisons to commemorative practices at the Yad Vashem and the Holocaust Memorial, Berlin. Curators from institutions including the Smithsonian Institution and academics at New York University and Princeton University have discussed how the memorial mediates collective memory, trauma studies associated with researchers at Columbia University and Harvard University, and civic rituals similar to those at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Conservation and Maintenance

Ongoing care involves conservation teams with experience at sites such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, and the Statue of Liberty National Monument, with responsibilities split among the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and contracted conservators who have worked with the National Park Service. Maintenance addresses water chemistry, pump mechanics, bronze patination, granite cleaning, and arboricultural care coordinated with specialists from the United States Forest Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Security upgrades and visitor services have been implemented in consultation with agencies like the New York Police Department and transportation partners including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Category:Memorials in New York City Category:September 11 attacks