Making Art after 9/11

Following are excerpts from a conversation in Objects of Grace between Dr. James Romaine and artist Makoto Fujimura

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James Romaine: Living two blocks from where the World Trade Center was, how were you impacted by the events of September 11th 2001?

Makoto Fujimura: It was a truly harrowing experience; as the towers were collapsing and the fires were spreading, my wife and our children were all being evacuated from the area, literally being chased by the clouds of dust, ash, and fumes of jet fuel, and we didn’t know when we would return or if our loft would even be there. Judy was at the loft and the children were right around the corner in school so they experienced a lot more than I did. I was trapped in the subway, one station away from the area underneath the towers which collapsed in on itself.

Two months later, having been able to return to our loft, we are just beginning to realize what happened. I feel very protected in that my family was rescued right out of the mouth of the terror. The other side of it is a tremendous feeling of mourning and even anger. Living at Ground Zero is a daily experience of depending on God’s grace.

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In the conversation we had last year, you talked about your art as an expression of “Costly Grace.” While Christ is ultimately the perfect picture of that costly grace, the 9-11 events were another demonstration of the costs of grace.

MF: Christ is the ultimate meeting of God’s “how” and “why” of salvation. And grace is the operative word that fuses the two. We saw these firemen rush to save lives, climbing the falling towers. There is nothing more noble than losing one’s life to save others. This is the greater love that the Bible speaks of, and that love was exemplified in Jesus.

What we saw were two “art forms.” The terrorists’ “art” of vengeance contrasted with the heroes of 9-11 whose “art” was their sacrifice. (I am using this “art” in the classical use of the term, meaning anything we create.) These are two clear opposing ways of creating. Any works after 9-11 will be marked by, and defined by, these opposing categories.

Where Were You?

Funny how our culture marks significant events by asking the simple question, "Where were you when..."

Where were you when John F. Kennedy was shot, when Neil Armstrong took those epic first steps on the moon, or when the Berlin Wall toppled?

In my lifetime perhaps no better answer to this iconic question would be where I was when the planes hit the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. I don't think there has been an event in our collective American consciousness quite like what happened to our country on the beautiful day, September 11, 2001.

Why is that so? For one, millions of us watched in real time when the first plane hit that first tower. We were confused and thought surely this was a mistake. The plane veered off course. We thought this until the second plane hit its twin. That was deliberate. We saw smoke, fire and debris of an ungodly nature.

That second act begs a more significant question then just the standard “where were you”. That question is, “Where was God”?

Square Halo Books took on that question in our book, Light at Ground Zero: St. Paul’s Chapel after 9/11. This book is a compilation of photographs taken by Krystyna Sanderson of the relief efforts after those towers and our hopes collapsed. These photographs document God's hands, feet, and heart in action as Saint Paul's Chapel became the center where the first responders found relief.

The Church open itself up to became a sanctuary to all who bravely took upon themselves the massive task set before them.

And Krystyna's photographic heart captured it all without any expectation that her pictures would ever see the light of day. At Saint Paul’s we answer the question, “Where was God?” We found God hard at work through His church binding up our Nation’s wounded bodies and souls.

Since September 11th, thousands and thousands of people visited Saint Paul's Chapel and purchased this wonderful book of healing, Light at Ground Zero. It stands as a photographic tribute to good triumphing over evil.

Pairing Biblical verses and thoughts from the Book of Common Prayer with Krystyna’s photographs makes Light at Ground Zero very distinctive.  Photographs paired with verse helps make sense out of a senseless act and answers the question, where was God on 9/11. He was there and Krystyna captured Him in action for all of us to see. We recommend this book to you as you face situations where you may be asking, “Where was God when...”

—Diana DiPasquale, President of Square Halo Books, Inc.

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On September 24, 2011, Square Halo Books is helping to sponsor a forum at The Row House that will feature Krystyna speaking about Light at Ground Zero.