Since the earliest points in recorded history, peoples from all over the world have always had an unusually strong preference to light over darkness. Light seems to have this ability to evoke emotion and a sense of something that surpasses the ordinary and into the extraordinary. Four modern uses of light beams – flashlight, headlight, lighthouse, and searchlight – all hold in common a notion of direction and guidance. The Tribute in Light is no different and can be thought of as an incorporation of all four. Rescue personnel used flashlights and headlights on that tragic day. A lighthouse acts as a beacon in darkness to be used as guidance. Survivors from the buildings were able to escape because they were able to find their ways out of the smoke and debris. The Tribute is in fact a searchlight that broadcasts the memory of that day. The light piercing the clouds is as if it is trying to search for something, whether it is acceptance or reconciliation or whether it’s just trying to keep the memories alive. This photograph was taken on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building Observatory at 8:59 p.m. I felt that this picture should be taken on top of the building that will once again carry the prestige of being the tallest building in New York City. Moments before I headed back to the elevator, I noticed that the fog had begun to obscure the view of the Tribute. The lights slowly disappearing is alike to time eventually helping us move on from that tragic day and letting us guide ourselves out of the darkness. I believe that the Tribute is an excellent way of helping us not to forget the September 11th but to also help us move forward.
