The Olympic Park’s 9/11 Memorial
Walking through the Olympic Park recently I noticed a sculpture I hadn’t spotted before.
It was installed in 2015 and currently stands right outside the London Aquatics Centre. When I went closer to investigate, I was taken aback to discover it was a memorial to the victims of September 11th 2001.
Seeing this here felt strange to me and – as if anticipating this response – there were no less than 4 explanatory plaques to answer my questions…
WHAT IS IT?
Designed by Miya Ando and titles ‘Since 9/11’ the work is created from steel columns collected from Ground Zero after the attack. Ando’s aim was to create a place that directly confronted the impact of the act and examine how it’s shaped our lives. It was created as part of a larger project also named ‘Since 9/11’
WHAT IS ‘SINCE 9/11’?
A UK charity and education programme, Since 9/11‘s mission is “to help teachers and young people understand the events, causes and consequences of 9/11”.
WHY HERE?
2,977 people were killed by the actions of 19 hijackers on September 11th. The victims came from over 90 countries and 67 were from the UK.
This is the sculpture’s first permanent home after originally standing in Battersea Park. The plaque proclaims that Stratford was chosen because the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic had been a symbol of hope, peace and tolerance.
It also explains that because the park receives visitors from all over the world and is situated in the heart of London’s most diverse and dynamic communities, it’s a “natural home” for the work.
You can find it outside the London Aquatics centre, just off Carpenters Road E15.
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Stewart Francis
An inspiring and surprising find, Katie. Well found and well described, with appropriate simplicity. A reminder of the atrocity and the victims and their nationalities and the number from the UK. What a good link with the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.