On the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the most iconic and moving public art installation in New York City, “Tribute in Light,” has once again graced the World Trade Center site, with two massive blue light beams shooting up into the sky, illuminating the night sky of Manhattan.
This installation is not just two simple beams of light; it is composed of 88 powerful xenon light bulbs with a wattage of 7,000 each. These bulbs are arranged in two 48-foot (approximately 14.6 meters) square arrays and shoot up into the night sky, symbolizing the twin towers of the World Trade Center that tragically collapsed in the terrorist attacks, honoring the victims of 9/11, while showcasing the unbreakable resilience of New York City.
On a clear night, these two beams of intense light can extend up to 4 miles (about 6.4 kilometers) into the sky, and their powerful iconic glow is visible within a 60-mile radius (about 100 kilometers) around Lower Manhattan. It typically lights up at sunset on September 11th each year and remains lit until sunrise the next day.
Notably, on the eve of this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration, in addition to the customary “Tribute in Light,” a large-scale drone performance titled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” took place over the New York Harbor. This performance consisted of a massive aerial matrix of 2,977 drones (representing the 2,977 victims), recreating the architectural outline of the World Trade Center twin towers in proportion in the night sky, complementing the traditional “Tribute in Light” installation, creating a truly awe-inspiring and tear-jerking visual spectacle.
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