New York, 9-11-01, 2001

Accession Number
2016/2.504

Title
New York, 9-11-01, 2001

Artist(s)
Peter Turnley

Object Creation Date
2001

Medium & Support
archival pigment print on paper

Dimensions
20 in x 24 in (50.8 cm x 60.96 cm);13 ¼ in x 20 in (33.66 cm x 50.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of David and Jennifer Kieselstein

Subject matter
In this photograph, Peter Turnley represents first responders searching for survivors amid the still-smoking wreckage of the World Trade Center. Turnley produced this image likely hours following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which resulted in the complete destruction of the WTC's twin towers. The attacks were devastating and traumatic to the people who experienced it, and the political fallout was far reaching. In this photograph, the rich golds as well as deep reds and blues of the fire and smoke saturate the image, pointing directly to the devastation which has just occurred and giving the scene an ethereal quality. Though this image purports to document a tragic event as it unfolds, one cannot but note the photograph's almost sublime aesthetic effects. 
 

Physical Description
An image of four firemen, each facing away from the viewer and walking among a huge mound of metallic rubble. Smoke and an orange-red glow washes the background.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
firefighters
fires (events)
rubble
steam
terrorism

2 Related Resources

Grammar and Ekphrasis Writing Portfolio
(Part of: Writing + Art Enrichment Activities)
Objects from Aftermath: Landscapes of Devastation
(Part of: <b>Aftermath: Landscapes of Devastation</b>)

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved