To the Struggle Against World Terrorism

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism (also known as the Tear of Grief and the Tear Drop Memorial) is a 10-story-high sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli that was given to the United States as an official gift of the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[1] It stands at the end of the former MOTBY in Bayonne, New Jersey and was dedicated on September 11, 2006 in a ceremony attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin.[1][2]

Contents

Design

The sculpture is in the form of a 100-foot (30 m) tower made of steel and coated in bronze, split with a jagged opening through the middle.[1] Inside the opening hangs a large stainless-steel teardrop, 40 feet (12 m) high,[1] in memory of those whose lives were lost during terrorist attacks in the United States.[3] The eleven sides of the monument's base bear granite name plates, on which are etched the names of those that died in the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[4]

Tsereteli did not disclose the cost of the sculpture except to say that he paid for labor and materials. A lawyer for the sculptor released the cost at about $12 million.[5] Tsereteli said metals for the sculpture were obtained "From a military factory that did airplanes. In Dzerzhinsk. A secret city."[6]

It was initially given to the local government of Jersey City, but was rejected once city officials actually saw it. It was then relocated to its present placement in Bayonne.[7] In August 2010 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it had plans to build a container facility on the location and the monument would most likely have to be moved.[5] However these plans have not been confirmed by the Port Authority. Robert "Captain Bob" Terzi, a Bayonne taxi driver started an online petition to prevent the relocation.[5]

Reaction to the monument has been mixed. It was listed as one of the The World’s Ugliest Statues by Foreign Policy magazine,[8] while The New Yorker said it looked like "a giant tea biscuit."[6] However ordinary reactions from the general public include "Pretty impressive," said one person and another called it a "breathtakingly beautiful creation".[5]

In September 2011, a four-foot section of steel from the World Trade Center was placed adjacent to the sculpture.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Memorial at Harbor View Park". http://www.bayonnelra.com/Memorial_Brochure.pdf. Retrieved March 17, 2009. 
  2. ^ "The Unveiling of a New World Monument". http://www.911monument.com/Tsereteli_Monument.pdf. Retrieved March 17, 2009. 
  3. ^ "Tsereteli's Official Biography". Tsereteli's official webpage. http://www.tsereteli.ru/eng/part_bio.php. Retrieved March 24, 2009. 
  4. ^ "To the Struggle Against World Terrorism: A History". http://www.911monument.com/history.htm. Retrieved March 17, 2009. 
  5. ^ a b c d Morley, Mike. "White Elephants", Irish American News, October 2011.
  6. ^ a b On the Waterfront: Monument, William Finnegan, The New Yorker, June 25, 2007.
  7. ^ Miller, Jonathan (January 30, 2005). "Monument In Search Of a Home". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E0DA173BF933A05752C0A9639C8B63. Retrieved April 18, 2010. 
  8. ^ "The World’s Ugliest Statues". http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/04/05/the_world_s_ugliest_statues?page=0,4. Retrieved April 18, 2010. 
  9. ^ Hack, Charles. "Motorcyclists to escort piece of World Trade Center steel to Bayonne memorial site on Sept. 7 ". NJ.com. August 31, 2011

External links