9/11 Memorial in Arizona, Roof memorial at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, Phoenix, United States.
The 9/11 Memorial in Arizona is a circular steel ring installed at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in Phoenix, with words and phrases cut directly through the metal. When sunlight passes through those cutouts, the text appears as shadows on the concrete base below the ring.
The memorial was built in 2006 and incorporates steel beams recovered from the ruins of the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Those beams give the site a direct physical connection to the events it commemorates.
Some of the inscriptions on the ring include quotes that sparked controversy after the memorial opened, because they reflect a range of viewpoints rather than a single narrative. This has made the site a place where visitors often pause to read and discuss what they see.
The memorial sits on Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near the Arizona State Capitol, which makes it easy to reach on foot from the center of Phoenix. The shadow effect works best on sunny days, which are common in this part of Arizona throughout the year.
The ring is precisely aligned so that specific inscriptions cast their shadows onto marked spots on the ground at 8:46 a.m. and 10:03 a.m. on September 11 each year. Those two times mark the moment the first plane hit and the collapse of the South Tower.
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