Urn

9/11 Memorial Urn

Description

A 12-segment cast porcelain urn fired three times with photographic transfers of the names of every victim from 9/11 fused on the surface with iron-pigmented text and sealed with a white matte glaze.

Historical Notes

University of Minnesota art professor and ceramicist Tom Lane was far from the attack sites on 9/11. Still, like many around the world, Lane experienced a profound sense of loss as he witnessed the collapse of the Twin Towers on television. Nearly six years later, a catastrophic bridge collapse in Minneapolis spurred Lane to create a series of memorial vessels, including the 9/11 Memorial Urn. Cast in porcelain, Lane’s classically shaped urn honors the lives of those lost on 9/11. Yet this is an urn in concept only, as the vessel is empty. Fired into its faceted surface are the names of all 2,977 victims of 9/11. The words of the speech delivered by U.S. President George W. Bush on the night of the attacks wind around its tapered lid.