PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP PHOTO Father Brian Jordan (2nd L) blesses a cross of steel beams 04 October 2001 in New York found amid the rubble of the World Trade Center by a laborer two days after the collapse of the twin towers. The cross was from World Trade tower One, and was found in World Trade building Six and moved to its present location 03 October 2001. Other rescue and construction workers join Jordan for the ceremony.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP PHOTO Anthi Spanos of New York City views a replica of the World Trade Center Towers 25 September at a memorial for the victims of the attack set up in Union Square in New York.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP The "Tribute in Light" display representing the twin towers of the World Trade Center is beamed above lower Manhattan 11 September 2006 in New York marking the fifth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

New York City Manhattan

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP An US flag is seen amidst debris in the cemetery at Trinity Church next to the World Trade Center 13 September, 2001 in New York. The twin towers at the center were destroyed 11 September when hijacked airplanes crashed into the towers.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP The "Tribute in Light" display representing the twin towers of the World Trade Center is beamed above lower Manhattan 11 September 2006 in New York, marking the fifth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The photographs produced at the WTC Plaza reflect the curiosity, joy, and creativity of the human spirit presiding there. The looming Twin Towers (unseen in the images) housed the corporate structure whose physical and sociological magnitude created a monolithic force at once impressive, impassive and frightening. Given the opportunity to freely and continually recreate a reality that inspires, a human being can summon the will to meet this force with equal power. The dynamic exchange between the imposing structure of the Twin Towers and the invigorating will of the people in the Plaza provided a metaphor that I endeavored to express through my images. Since I lived 3 blocks from the site, it became routine for me to go to the Plaza and work while contemplating what was there. The skyward thrusting towers and the wet circular fountain provided a sexually symbolic setting, where human beings bonded in a picture-taking dance. I also recognized some of the ideals of the sixties: people from diverse cultures were creating their own visions without having to inflict them on others. At that time, this was referred to as "Do Your Own Thing". These photographs were made during the years 1990-2000 as part of a larger photographic focus on being an American in the last half of the twentieth century. After the events of September 11, 2001, and the Towers no longer existed, it seemed necessary to recreate the memory of the people, the light, and the beautiful energy that existed in the Plaza.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP PHOTO David Nath (R) and Jillian Egan hold candles in commemoration of the victims of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the US, as hundreds of mourners sing the national anthem, 12 September 2001, at the Reflection Pool in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP The "Tribute in Light" memorial consisting of two shafts of light to represent the World Trade Center Twin Towers is lit 11 March, 2002, in New York on the six month anniversary of the terrorist attack that destroyed the towers. The evening ceremony ended a day of tributes to those killed in the 11 September attacks. This view which includes the Statue of Liberty (R) and the Empire State Building (L) is from Bayonne, New Jersey.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP PHOTO This handout photo shows cameras used by photographer Bill Biggart (a Canon D30 digital camera and Canon EOS 1 film camera) before he was killed when the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Biggart was the only professional photographer to die while documenting the terrorist attacks. The cameras, on loan from Biggart's family, are on display at the exhibition "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" which opens 11 September 2002 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP Two columns of light , known as the Tribute in Light Memorial, emanate into the sky from Battery Park City 11 September, 2003, to mark the second anniversary of the attacks on September 11. The lights, which will shine until dawn, are part of the 9/11 Commemoration Events at the World Trade Center site.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP A bronze sculpture of a businessman and his briefcase is decorated with flowers and national flags as it sits amid heavy machinery and the rubble of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York 17 September 2001. What once was a representation of the workers of the financial district is now a small memorial for those who lost their lives in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack. AFP PHOTO US NAVY/U.S. Navy/Eric J. TILFORD

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP An ethnic Albanian man walks in front of a placard commemorating the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, 11 September 2006, in Pristina, Kosovo.

Menschen im Oculus, Haupthalle des U-Bahnhofs mit Einkaufszentrum, World Trade Center, Transportation Hub, WTC, Architekt Santiago Calatrava, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika New York City New York Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika *** People in the Oculus main hall of the U station with shopping center World Trade Center Transportation Hub WTC Architect Santiago Calatrava Manhattan New York City New York United States of America New York City New York United States of America

In this Sept. 9, 2019 photo, the World Trade Center is shown in New York. Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019 marks the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)