Book
Hecatombe 9-11
- Description
- Handmade artist book titled Hecatombe 9-11 created by Maria G. Pisano. The book is enclosed in a handmade box with imagery of the facade of the Twin Towers at Ground Zero. The book utilizes prints of photographs taken by Pisano in 2001 depicting Ground Zero and the surrounding area. The book also incorporates the names of the victims, listed alphabetically.
- Historical Notes
- Conceived as a work of art in the form of a book of accordion-fold pages framed in black, artist Maria Pisano’s creation includes the alphabetized names of the victims, photographs she captured of the destroyed buildings and various spontaneous memorials created by the bereaved throughout the downtown area, details of the attacks, and a poem she wrote. She dedicated the finished artwork to “those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedoms.”
Curator's Comment
Born in Locri, Italy, book artist Maria Pisano emigrated to the United States long ago and was at her home in Plainsboro, New Jersey, on the morning of September 11. In the wake of the attacks she ventured to Ground Zero with her husband to pay their respects and to photograph the unnerving wreckage. The couple’s connection to the site deepened indirectly as her husband, a psychologist in the New York City school system, assumed responsibility for counseling students whose family members had been killed on 9/11.
For years, as each anniversary of the attacks approached, Pisano would study the photos she had taken at Ground Zero, contemplating how she might fashion a creative response to the attacks. While walking on the beach in 2007, she came across an object in the sand that reminded her of one of the images of the wrecked Twin Towers. She read this as a sign to commence work on what became Hecatombe 9-11.
In addition to her own artistic practice, Pisano is a scholar, a curator, and a lecturer on how artist books function as keepers of the collective memory.
For years, as each anniversary of the attacks approached, Pisano would study the photos she had taken at Ground Zero, contemplating how she might fashion a creative response to the attacks. While walking on the beach in 2007, she came across an object in the sand that reminded her of one of the images of the wrecked Twin Towers. She read this as a sign to commence work on what became Hecatombe 9-11.
In addition to her own artistic practice, Pisano is a scholar, a curator, and a lecturer on how artist books function as keepers of the collective memory.
- Accession Number: C.2013.94.1
- Dimensions: 11.5 in X 4.5 in X 2.5 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 29.21 cm X 11.43 cm X 6.35 cm
- Source: Maria G. Pisano
- Credit Line: Gift of Maria G. Pisano
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