25th ANNIVERSARY AERIAL ARTWORK COMMEMORATES THE INDIVIDUAL LIVES LOST ON 9/11/2001
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NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On Wednesday, September 9, a commemorative public art installation designed with voices of the 9/11 family, survivor, responder community was unveiled in the skies over New York Harbor. The free public act of reflection and unity is a sponsored project of the New York Foundation of the Arts.
2,977 lights rose over New York Harbor and rebuilt the Twin Towers at full architectural scale, one light for each life lost on 9/11, in a community gathering of remembrance.
The aerial artwork was shaped by a collective of voices from the 9/11 community, including Brenda Berkman (FDNY First Responder, Artist), Tim Brown (FDNY First Responder 1993 and 2001), Terry Strada (family of Tom Strada, President of 9/11 Families United), Jim Smith (family of NYPD Moira Smith), and Genevieve Siller (Daughter of Stephen Siller). Its members acknowledge that no one can speak for all.
Designed in dialogue with the iconic “Tribute in Light”, “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” suspends 2,977 individual lights in the night sky as a breathing constellation of lives. The lights gathered in a helix, swirling upward before assembling into the Twin Towers at full architectural scale.
The helix in “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” intentionally recalls the THINK team’s World Cultural Center, the unbuilt proposal for the rebuilt World Trade Center: a civic and cultural vision rather than another office development, its open latticework towers rising around and above the original footprints without touching them, carrying public space into the sky. The installation carries that civic proposition back into the air above the harbor.
The commemorative art work is a collaboration between artists, producers, and 9/11 families, survivors, and responders; which includes creative director Addison Mehr, producers Sky Elements, designer Yan Paul Dubbelman, artistic advisors Studio Drift, and Shigeru Ban and Dean Maltz.
The work is scored with recorded music chosen for reflection. Featuring works by Philip Glass, along with “On The Transmigration of Souls” from John Adams, written for the victims of 9/11. Additional works were provided by Max Richter, including “On the Nature of Daylight” from The Blue Notebooks.
“2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” was produced by Addison Mehr and Sky Elements.
Production is funded entirely by private philanthropy and in-kind contribution with major support for the public art installation generously provided by The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and 9/11 family members. Major support was provided by The Blavatnik Family Foundation, with additional support from Pershing Square Philanthropies.
“2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” is given as a gift to the city of New York along with everyone whose life was, and continues to be affected by September 11. The production was made possible by Sky Elements Drone Shows, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and IDEKO who led federal and city permitting, safety and security operations.
“2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” is a sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization founded in 1971 to serve the arts community throughout New York State and the United States.
Quotes from 9/11 Family, Survivor, Responder Community:
Tim Brown (FDNY Responder 1993 and 2001): “I helped design 2,977 Lights to honor the innocent and our 343 FDNY heroes. I did it for my brothers Chris Blackwell of Rescue 3, Terry Hatton of Rescue 1, and Michael Lynch of Ladder 4. Three of the 2,977 lights are theirs.”
Terry Strada (family of Tom Strada): “For my husband, Tom, and for all the beautiful souls we lost on September 11, may these lights carry their memory upward and remind the world that even in our darkest hour, their light still shines. To illuminate the sky is to remind a new generation not only of all we lost, but of who we became in the aftermath, one nation united in grief, in love, and in resolve, rising together from the ashes.”
Brenda Berkman (FDNY Responder 2001, Artist): “Like the landscape of New York City, memory and understanding of history are also shaped by and reflect constant change. But art can help convey information, feelings and understanding of past events from one generation to the next. Twenty-five years after 9/11, 100 million Americans have no memory of their own of that day. I hope this new tribute will help bring insight into 9/11 to that new generation.”
Jim Smith (NYPD): “We’re all in the same community. We’re New Yorkers, we’re always going to be New Yorkers, and there’s no getting out of it. With this gesture, we’re going to wake up the city and remind them of how we were on September 12, after September 11 brought us all together.”
Quotes from Creative Collective and Producers:
Addison Mehr, Creative Director, Executive Producer, “2,977 Lights Over NY Harbor”: “The purpose of 2,977 Lights is to acknowledge individual loss within the collective history and memory of September 11th. We light the exact number to hold witness for each individual life.”
Studio Drift, Artistic Advisor: “As artists we are humbled as originators of the drone light show medium to be part of one of the most important remembrances of our lifetime. We could not think of a more impactful use of technology as it is now more important than ever to create the best possible future by using the new tools of our time to never forget the past.”
Rick Boss, CEO, Sky Elements: “This is a moment of remembrance for the families who have lived with this for twenty-five years… those we lost that day, those we have lost since, and the survivors who are still with us. Everything in the sky over New York is for them. We’re honored to be trusted with this.”
Evan Korn, CEO and Co-Founder, IDEKO: “IDEKO is honored to play a small part in bringing 2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor to life. This tribute is about remembrance, honoring the 2,977 lives lost on September 11th and ensuring their memory continues to shine over New York City.”
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SOURCE 2977 Lights Over New York Harbor
