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THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 27, 2002
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FOR 9/11 KIN
Made From Ground Zero Steel
Sculpture memorials made from steel recovered from the World Trade Center site are available to victims’ families in remembrance of their loved ones.
World renown sculptor Bryan Hunt created a cast concrete form that holds a rectangular fragment of 3/4” steel from the World Trade Center site. Hunt, who lives and works in Tribeca, has been to the site many times.
“For some of us, this tragedy literally happened in our back yards, and obviously it will never be the same place,” he said. “There is a gaping hole of sadness in the landscape. In time it will rise again.”
Hunt describes his work by saying, “I wanted the torch-cut steel fragment to be accessible, to be able to be touched and held, which gives one the opportunity to feel its weight, its density, its reality, so that it might be shared and passed on through time.”
Retired Firefighter Lee Ielpi, who lost his firefighter son Jonathan in the September 11 disaster, enlisted other FDNY workers to help cut the steel. Ielpi also enlisted the Signs and Decal Corporation of Brooklyn to produce the sculptures at cost. The firm usually makes signs for airports and terminals.
Signs and Decal Corporation owner Babu Khalfan, who immigrated 30 years ago from Madagascar, said, “I was very fortunate that American people helped put me in business. I started with donated space given to me by a generous landlord in Long Island City. This is a way for me to give back to the City of New York that has been so good to me and my family.”
The memorials are available by contacting The Gift of New York at 1-800-528-1499 or www.thegiftofnewyork.org.
Howard Milstein made a generous donation to the project and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey donated tons of steel and will also donate the shipping of these sculptures to the families. Sculptor Bryan Hunt, Ielpi, Signs and Decals Corporation and The Gift of New York, among many, many others, have donated time, talent and money to make this possible.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “It is our hope that these sculptures will provide some small amount of comfort to the families and serve as a reminder of their loved ones. Like these pieces of steel, our bond with their memory is strong and we will continue to strive to find ways to honor them.”
“Eighty-four members of the Port Authority family were killed in the September 11 terror attacks—including my friend, Neil Levin, who was executive director of the Port Authority at the time,” said Joseph Seymour, the Port Authority’s current executive director. “We are honored. to participate in this dignified and moving tribute to the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11.”
LMDC President and Executive Director Lou Tomson said, “These sculptures are a truly moving and thoughtful commemoration. I thank Bryan Hunt and the many others who helped to make these memorials available to the family members of victims of the World Trade Center attacks.”
Charles Gargano, chair of Empire State Development and vice-chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said, “I would like to commend the governor and the mayor for their efforts to provide the surviving family members of the victims of September 11 with these sculpture memorials. They remind us of the many innocent lives we lost, and the strength New Yorkers have shown in responding to the horrific events of that unforgettable day.”
Governor George Pataki, said, “The strength and resilience of the people of New York is truly our greatest strength, and I am proud that, yet again, we’ve come together to remember those we lost. While there will be many tributes to the heroes for many years to come, this one carries the weight of the direct involvement of many of those who were most deeply affected on that tragic day.”