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In a program marking the 15th anniversary of the terror attacks, Charles Moretz, a Redding resident for 20 years said while honoring those lost that day, the anniversary also may be a time to celebrate the majesty of the World Trade Center by remembering its contribution to the artistic, commercial and intellectual life of New York City.
“There is a reason that those buildings were chosen to be attacked, and that’s because they represented so much of what was incredible about New York,” said Moretz, who has been speaking with curators at the 9/11 Memorial Museum about a temporary exhibit of his work.
Moretz named his collection "Genius Loci," a Latin phrase meaning “guardian of the spirit of a place,” because his photographs are reminders that capture the detail, the scale and the life of the Twin Towers. Moretz moved to lower Manhattan during the 1970s when the Twin Towers were being constructed.
He said he watched as the towers injected a new life into the area, and the buildings soon became his “artistic muse,” a grandiose subject he captured on film during his free time. His photographs soon were noticed by Port Authority officials, and, in 1982, Moretz was commissioned to take photographs of the buildings to be installed in Windows on the World as part of a permanent exhibition.
The photographs were in place until the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Using pictures and words, Moretz’s talk will touch on his experiences with life in lower Manhattan during the 1970’s, the history of the World Trade Center, the architectural details of the buildings, and his photographic work.
Moretz said his eventual goal will be to have a permanent installation in the 9/11 Memorial Museum, an exhibit in a "simple, austere setting."
The event begins at 3 p.m. at the library, 439 Redding Road. To register, click here.
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