2,977 Lights Rebuild Twin Towers Over Harbor
2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor commemorated 9/11 victims with 2,977 lights rebuilding the Twin Towers at full scale.
Sky Elements, producer Addison Mehr, and a collective of 9/11 family members, survivors, and responders unveiled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” on September 9, 2026. The public art installation sent 2,977 lights into the sky over New York Harbor, rebuilding the Twin Towers at full architectural scale, with one light representing each life lost on 9/11. The project, a sponsored initiative of the New York Foundation for the Arts, was presented as a free public gathering for reflection and unity. It marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
A Memorial In The Sky
Designed in dialogue with the iconic Tribute in Light, the aerial artwork formed a helix before assembling into the Twin Towers. The installation drew on the THINK team’s World Cultural Center proposal for the rebuilt World Trade Center, recalling its vision of civic and cultural space rising above the original footprints.
Tim Brown, FDNY Responder 1993 and 2001, said:
“I helped design 2,977 Lights to honor the innocent and our 343 FDNY heroes. I did it for my brothers Chris Blackwell of Rescue 3, Terry Hatton of Rescue 1, and Michael Lynch of Ladder 4. Three of the 2,977 lights are theirs.”
Creative Team And Support
Mehr and Sky Elements produced the installation, with designer Yan Paul Dubbelman, artistic advisors Studio Drift, Shigeru Ban and Dean Maltz, and participation from artists, producers, families, survivors and responders. IDEKO led federal and city permitting, safety and security operations.
Production was funded through private philanthropy and in-kind contributions. Major support came from The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and 9/11 family members, while The Blavatnik Family Foundation and Pershing Square Philanthropies provided further support.
Addison Mehr, Creative Director, Executive Producer, “2,977 Lights Over NY Harbor,” said:
“The purpose of 2,977 Lights is to acknowledge individual loss within the collective history and memory of September 11th. We light the exact number to hold witness for each individual life.”
Music And A Public Gift
The installation was scored with recorded music selected for reflection, including works by Philip Glass, “On The Transmigration of Souls” from John Adams, written for the victims of 9/11, and Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” from The Blue Notebooks.
The project was given as a gift to New York City and to people whose lives were affected by September 11. Media assets and aerial footage are available online.
Rick Boss, CEO at Sky Elements, said:
“This is a moment of remembrance for the families who have lived with this for twenty-five years... those we lost that day, those we have lost since, and the survivors who are still with us. Everything in the sky over New York is for them. We're honored to be trusted with this.”
