New Delhi: On Wednesday night, the sky above New York Harbor filled with light as 2,977 synchronised drones rose and rearranged themselves to recreate the twin towers at exact architectural scale.
The commemorative public art installation consisted of 2,977 individual lights. Each glowing point, according to a report in the BBC, represented one life lost in the attacks.
Before the towers took shape, the drones gathered into rising helices, interpreted as a nod to an unbuilt vision for the World Trade Center site. Then, the lights resolved into the familiar twin silhouettes, hovering for long, still moments beside the annual beams of the Tribute in Light.
The 2026 drone work was staged two nights before the 25th anniversary of the attack. The artwork, titled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor”, was built in collaboration with artists, producers, and members of the 9/11 community, including victims’ families, survivors, and first responders.
Remembering the attacks
25 years earlier, on the morning of 11 September 2001, 19 al-Qaeda hijackers seized four commercial airliners. Two were flown into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. A third struck the Pentagon. The fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew fought back.
Nearly 3000 people were killed, including office workers, first responders, airline passengers and crew, and people on the ground.
The Twin Towers, once a defining feature of the New York skyline, collapsed within hours. The day is considered one of the deadliest and most transformative in modern American history.
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‘Never forget’
Online comments on the viral video of the installation expressed solidarity and grief over the attacks.
“I still can’t believe they are gone, even after 25 years. Never forget,” a comment on X read.
Others shared personal stories of that day.
“I will never forget that Tuesday morning, heading to work downtown at 33 Water St, just a few blocks from the WTC. I saw the 2nd plane hit the building and dusty people running everywhere,” a user wrote.
Edited by Maryam Hassan