Cemetery at Ground Zero - Tree of Life, 2002

On September 11th, 2001, I was at a pizzeria in Bratislava, Slovakia, when someone said in broken English, "Do you know your country is at war?" By the time I returned home three weeks later, New York City seemed almost normal -- except for the lingering acrid smell in the air, the coating of white dust in my apartment, the hundreds of flyers all over my neighborhood with photos of "the missing" (as they were still called), and of course... the gaping hole in the downtown skyline. By day, my life went on as normal. But by night, I found myself drawn downtown along with many fellow New Yorkers, to the empty streets, the memorial posters and candles, the eerie illumination of "Ground Zero" where volunteers and contractors worked round-the-clock. There, at night, I found an otherworldly sadness, mixed with hope and defiance, serenity, and even a surprising beauty.

DOWNTOWN BY NIGHT is a series of six photocollages made in April 2002. They are hand-assembled C-prints, and are for sale in limited editions of 12.

For more information: Email mstern@sternphoto.com