Memory of Terrorism

Ideas of personal memory and trauma can be seen in much of my work, but also ideas about public or collective memory. For example, in Memory of Terrorism, I was considering the difference between what I witnessed on 7 July, 2005 (The London Underground Bombings), and how different societies react to control the memories of atrocities. In New York City, massive structures ensure 9/11 is never forgotten and that we continue to live with the scar of that day on our psyches. Meanwhile the British quickly acted to erase all evidence of 7/7/2005. The locations photographed in Memory of Terrorism show no physical marks of the bombings, except for a very small sign on the fence at one location. The shrapnel has been removed from the building, plastered over to look as if it never happened. This does have the effect of erasing the terror the bombers had intended to leave behind, removing the power they thought they held, and freeing the people of its scars. Taken 16 Months after the events, I had intended to photograph more of these sites, but the wounds were still too raw and only two locations were photographed in 2006.