Plans to build a London sculpture using girders retrieved from the World Trade Center, which was destroyed after a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, have been set aside after it received complaints from the 9/11 victim’s families.
The artwork is designed by Miya Ando, a Japanese-Russian artist. It was to be made out of twisted pieces of steel about 5 to 8 meters in height, and to be placed over a lighted pool.
The plans to create the memorial were already approved by London’s Southwark Council in December. It was expected to launch on September along with the commemoration of the attack’s 10th anniversary, as well as an educational program at the Potters Fields Park in London.
The sculpture was commissioned by an educational charity called 9/11 London Project Foundation. Trustees of the charity informed that they want to extend the sculpture’s consultation period after several concerns by the victim’s families were raised.
Hannah Ali was one of the relatives who showed disappointment at the plans to create a sculpture, which will use materials from the collapsed building. Ali’s sister died in the north tower of the World Trade Center.
She asked how someone could even think of making large beam of steel, which had bodies strewn over them, into an artwork.
The 9/11 London Project Foundation aims to increase people’s awareness and widen their comprehension of the events that happened on September 11, 2001. Trustees of the charity said they withheld the sculpture to make sure nothing threatens the effectives or impact of the launch, as well as its development of an educational program.