How Did I miss This 4 Ton 9/11 Teardrop?
So I’m hanging out on Facebook and all of the sudden someone sends me this picture of a sculpture that was purportedly sent from Russia to the US as a gift after 9/11. Is it just me? Or does this thing remind anyone else of female genitalia? I went to art school, so I’m cool with that.
Human anatomy aside, it looks like a real skyscraper with a giant, jagged laceration in the middle of it. Hanging in the center of the empty space is a huge, shiny, nickel dear drop. The thing is monumental and I had never seen it before. In fact, I had never even heard it mentioned – ever.
So I did a Google search because you know how things can be on the Internet – anyone can make up any old story and everyone knows how to use PhotoShop.
Sure enough it’s real! It is located at 51 Port Terminal Blvd, New Jersey. It’s one hundred feet tall. The tear drop weighs about four tons. Interestingly enough, there really isn’t much in the way of the media talking about this thing. I saw it on ArtKnowledgeNews. And it appears, at some point, someone wanted to move it.
But news stories were scant. I guess it was because some people in New Jersey started to think it was a publicity stunt or an attempt at pro-Russia propaganda. So someone suggested that they revise the name from Tear of Grief (which pretty much sums the thing up) to the not quite as catchy, To the Struggle Against World Terrorism. I’m not sure why they liked that better, but they did. “Quilligrapher” over at Hubpages as done up very decent overview of the monument.
Anyhow, I was honestly surprised to learn about this sculpture because I had helped an accomplished monumental sculptor friend of mine, Roberto Julio Bessin, put together his portfolio for Sotheby’s. Roberto’s portfolio contains a stunning monument named Morning Call. It’s a 9/11 memorial which includes reclaimed steel from the destroyed World Trade Center. Roberto can tell you how that went, but he let me know that some people were extremely unhappy that he had access to that steel.
Naturally, I asked him if the people harassing him wanted to test the steel because, of course, the steel was taken from a crime scene. He seemed surprised by this. He told me that almost all of the steel was being shipped to China. That there was no real forensic investigation of the steel from of the World Trade Towers before it got whisked away – at least none that he knew of. I checked on that too and found this
In retrospect, I find that comment about China interesting because the US Navy has since christened a ship named, USS New York (LPD-21), which contains reforged steel from the World Trade Center. The amount from WTC represents less than one thousandth of the total weight of the ship but it got pretty awesome news coverage regardless. To me, USS New York seems more like a publicity stunt than the four ton nickel tear drop gift from Russia – but what do I know?
Anyhow, I want to go see To the Struggle Against World Terrorism simply because I did not hear about it until now. I mean, WHEN SOMEONE HAS TO ACTUALLY CHECK SNOPES TO CONFIRM THAT THERE IS A FOUR TON, RUSSIAN TEAR DROP HANGING IN NEW JERSEY – well, I think that speaks for itself. But it left me asking why was the US media so unimpressed by this gift? Maybe they didn’t like Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ground breaking ceremony speech on September 16, 2005. You know, the part where Russia and the US were united…
At the very least, you’d think it would get a lot of press seeing as it was an act of good will and President Clinton spoke at it’s Dedication in 2006.
