Democracy of Photographs

Professionals and amateurs capture 9/11 in a stunning exhibition

Comments (0) By John Devine Thursday, Oct 10 2002

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FotoFest

Portrait of a tragedy: One of the images from "here is new york."

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Through October 13. For more information, call FotoFest at 713-223-5522.

Memorial City Mall, I-10 and Gessner

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"here is new york" is not just about New York (though the title is borrowed from a 1948 essay by E.B. White that is still one of the loveliest valentines to that city) -- there are a few photos of the damage at the Pentagon, and at the Web site you can access a smattering of images from Pennsylvania and Afghanistan. The project is very much about 9/11 and all of its aftermath. But given the carnage and the terrible spectacle (as well as the nature of that city -- no doubt there were scores of tourists at the WTC armed with cameras and video cams at 8:46 that morning), it's not surprising that the majority of these images are of New York.

The building of the World Trade Center and its destruction were both monumental acts of hubris: arrogance to reach above the clouds brought down by arrogance striking at empire in God's name. But there is little hubris in these photographs (except for the picture of "Nuke 'em all!" inscribed in the thick dust -- presumably before anyone even knew who "'em" were). And there was no hubris evidenced in the faces of the visitors with whom I shared this exhibit. More like comprehension, compassion, sympathy, perhaps even empathy. Something, perhaps, to consider as hubris of a different but no less deadly kind stalks the corridors of power.