NY1 Exclusive: Brooklyn Sculptor Shares Her Inspiration For London 9/11 Memorial
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Brooklyn artist Miya Ando, who was commissioned to create a September 11th monument for London, says her artwork symbolizes peace but she has also endured much criticism. NY1's Arts reporter Stephanie Simon filed the following exclusive report. At her DUMBO Studio, Brooklyn artist Miya Ando specializes in transforming metal into artwork, so she feels deeply about the transformative power of art.
Nearby, in Greenpoint, Ando has just completed a September 11th peace monument for the city of London. which was commissioned by the 9/11 London Project Foundation. The commemorative sculpture, which is made of several upright pieces of metal, is made entirely of World Trade Center steel.
Artist's rendering of the completed memorial. Click to enlarge.
"The Port Authority had kept many pieces out in a big hanger [in John F. Kennedy International Airport] and they let me go in there and said, 'You can pick a piece of steel,'" says Ando.
She selected a piece and had it shipped to Milgo/Bufkin metal fabricators, where workers helped her transform the metal.
"By sanding and polishing to a mirror finish one part of it, it changes this very rusty object into a sculpture that will reflect light and hopefully serve as a symbol for peace," says Ando.
Yet a large part of the steel is left exactly how Ando found it.
"To take that from a fallen position and to stand it up again was a very powerful action," says Ando.
NY1 got a chance to see the finished work just before it was shipped to London. But some there have already criticized the appearance of this work of art as too violent.
"I completely understand. I was also, I felt frightened when I saw this, but I think it's also important to really show that and say we should never let this happen again," Ando says.
So far, a location has not been announced as the debate across the pond continues, but Ando believes it will be prominently displayed in London and unveiled on September 11th.