FAITH

Svend Lindbaek, Photography (New York, NY). Photo Assistant: Claus Bonnelycke. Production: Nancy Opitz. Digital Production: Kevin Cole. Site Design/ Development: LaDonna Myroth.
September 14, 2001, World Trade Center Candle Light Vigil, Union Square Park, New York City (www.faithinpeople.com) Website, portraits, and temporary installation
2001
Courtesy the artists

Three days after the collapse of the World Trade Center, on the evening of September 14th, a unique photo project took place in New York City.

In the days following the tragedy, all of us had been witnessing the aftermath and the incredible anguish and sense of loss on the faces around us. As a photographer, I felt compelled not only to document what I was seeing but to create something positive from this terrible event.

On that Friday afternoon, my crew and I headed to Union Square where hundreds of New Yorkers gathered for a candle light vigil. We created a temporary photo studio and throughout the night took 200 portraits of individuals, couples, and groups.

Amidst the countless posters of the missing, we created a wall of Polaroids showing New Yorkers who wanted to participate and share their faith: faith in the future, faith in other people and faith in our city. At midnight we left this wall standing in Union Square as a public installation and a testament to the life of the city. In order to make the portraits available for everyone to see we created a website called "www.faithinpeople.com."

I feel these portraits capture an intense and emotional moment in New York.

Svend Lindbaek