"Here is New York: Remembering 9/11"

In the first day of this class we discussed what makes a photograph "iconic" and one of the common threads among most of the photographs we were listing was that they all dealt with history in one way or another. September 11th entered our discussion when we asked if there was an image associated with this devastating event and the response was pretty much unanimous; there is not just one iconic picture associated with the attack. Why this is the case, the class was not too sure but we suggested that it might have something to do with the fact that sooooo many pictures were captured that day. Digital photography, whether using cameras or cell phones, is at the hands of thousands of people which enables mass production of images.



An article featured in today's NY Times was an interesting one to read after this discussion in class. A new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society, entitled “Here Is New York: Remembering 9/11,” opened today. It claims to be exclusively about memory and consists of two galleries containing "1,500 inkjet-printed photos taken six years ago during those apocalyptic days ... They are reminders of hidden pressure points and buried sensations". The article continues, "The photos, without credits, titles or dates, from 790 contributors, range from the amateur to the professional, from the clearly posed composition to the frenzied snap of a moment in which hysteria had to be kept at bay. This was probably the most photographed series of days in history. Was there anyone with a camera who did not try to capture some moment, staring in disbelief, anger or sorrow?" This article speaks to what we discussed in class; digital photography has enabled hundreds of people to capture images regardless of their photographic knowledge or experience. So while there may not be just one image associated with Sept 11th, is that necessarily a bad thing? I say we embrace the power of photography because, as this exhibit demonstrates, it allows us to capture various emotions, sights and experiences from hundreds of perspectives. Photographs have the ability to serve as reminders of our past- and whether it be through just one image, or thousands of images, should be irrelevant.
*Photographs are some of those featured in the exhibition