nine-eleven

zdepski's sketch, 911 Housekeeping
Falling - Housekeeping
On the tenth remembrance of the attacks on NYC, DC and PA, I'm publishing four pieces that haven't been outside of my sketchbook for as many years. I've seen some wonderful and sensitive pieces dealing with the subject, but my own reaction was removed and tertiary.
zdepski's sketch, 911 Maintenance
Falling - Maintenance
I was working in a web solutions company in 2001, building overpriced websites for companies that were willing to throw money at the new medium. One of our clients was a right-wing magazine called The Weekly Standard, founded by Will Kristol. Two Young Republican-types were visiting our offices that day, as part of their web team. The news of the jets crashing was streaming in on the TV in the break room. The YR's were standing in front of it when I walked in to see the towers burning. I will never forget the callous attitude they displayed while thousands of people were in the last moments of their time here on earth.
"I wonder how the Democrats are going to spin THIS..."
I walked out. The airport next to my office was silent. There were black SUVs in the parking lot, and the strange silence of no jets climbing from Dulles, 40 miles away. Birds once again ruled the skies.
zdepski's sketch, 911 Human Resources
Falling - Human Resources

I woke one night soon afterward, having dreamt of average folks falling to their deaths from high elevations. The first was a Housekeeper, then Maintenance worker and finally an office worker in Human Resources. Average folks that should have died from their vices or 90 years old, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, falling to the street below.

Five years later, I did an image of Muhammad Atta, the pilot of one of the jets, at his Eleventh birthday party. I thought, there must have been signs that this guy was a nut-job, and why hadn't anyone seen it? Here he's got his "I H8 NY" shirt on, etc...
zdepski's sketch of Atta's eleventh birthday
Muhammad Atta's Eleventh Birthday

I think it's time to close the door on this and move on. The sun keeps coming up, and the sunsets are still beautiful to behold.

Comments

Unknown said…
very poignant work... though your last two lines make the most sense to me now... I saw many things that day that are etched into my core... as did we all, the people jumping will stay with me forever.
Love your work, are you still at it? Came to this falling man post, which was obvsly a while ago!
http://novel-by-sjs.blogspot.co.uk/

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