And Then There Was Quiet

New York After 9/11

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a traveling exhibit by Dave Gordon

Back Ground: On September 11, 2001, two American Airlines planes struck the World Trade Center, killing over 2,700 people. America entered a period of near panicked shock. The news media began its relentless 24 hour media blitz of what quickly came to be known as 9/11. After watching what he calls “the hysteria on TV” from his living room in Somerville Massachusetts, artist Dave Gordon felt there was something profoundly missing from what he was seeing. He quickly made arrangements to go to NY, and within a few days, he was in Manhattan with his camera documenting the part of the story that was not getting covered. The photos taken show a quiet and somber New York that was profoundly supportive and that the rest of the country was largely unaware of. The photos Gordon took on that trip, and on a return trip a week later, became the core of his show “And Then There Was Quiet: New York After 9/11.” 
 

For each exhibition venue, Gordon enhances the viewer's experience by creating intimate site-specific installations. These poignant displays echo the themes of his photography. They include “The Wall of Missing Posters” containing a large number of photographs of the posters that the families of the missing put up in the aftermath of the attack. He also creates a reproduction of the type of makeshift shrine that appeared throughout Manhattan after 9/11. A major highlight of the show is a beautifully presented small terrarium of the dust which resulted from the collapse of the Twin Towers and covered Lower Manhattan like snow. Within each exhibit, Gordon strives to create intimate environments that stimulate conversation, contemplation and reflection. He works to present the events of 9/11 on a human scale allowing viewers to make constructive emotional connections.