Union Square Station's Aging 9/11 Memorial
Nestled inconspicuously on one wall of the Union Square subway station between the Green and Yellow lines adjacent to a police station lies a quasi-memorial, quasi-art installation.
The gallery of mail label stickers lists the names, death date, and residences of those who perished in the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
John Lin, 50, a current Brooklyn resident who grew up outside of the city, is the creator of the tribute. Lin and his friends put up the memorial on the first anniversary of the attacks. I used it as a kind of therapy, a way to process the events of the day, he said.
Union Square had a rich history as a spot for communal healing in the aftermath of 9/11. "14th street was a line that the city determined that unless you lived below, the general public could not go further south," Lin commented. "Because of that, Union Square became a place for people to gather. They had vigils throughout the following days, nights, weeks."
Eighteen friends helped him put up the installation, inspired by the tiles in the Carnegie Hall subway station, decorated with the names of people that have performed at the concert venue. Lin said he sent an email blast to friends, inviting anyone who wanted to help to participate.
Even during construction, the memorial served to connect the community, "As we were assembling it, passersby asked what we were doing, and some of them asked if they could put up a sticker," Lin said.
The lack of an artist plaque leaves the installation anonymous. "This project's objective was always to keep the focus on the lives lost on 9/11, and not on me… Taking credit was something I deliberately avoided," Lin said.
The memorial required planning. Lin visited the site before installation and decided on using mailing labels because of their cheap cost and sturdiness. The whole thing went up in about 90 minutes, he said.
The one concern on Lin's mind was legal action. "My biggest concern at the time was just trying to get it up. I was prepared that we could be stopped before finishing (even charged for vandalism) and getting it taken down shortly after. The goal was to get it up, and if it lasted for 24 hours, it would be a miracle."
Nonetheless, twenty years later, though many of the names have faded away, and the memorial contains gaps from where stickers have been removed, it has become a public space to mourn and a way for loved ones to interact with the memory of their deceased family members. Passersby have rewritten family members' names; others have scrawled messages of love around the blank space of the label.
Up until six years ago, Lin lived nearby and since moving, he revisits his creation often. "Sometimes I just watch from afar, and more often than not, there will be people taking a moment to look, maybe even discovering it for the first time," Lin said.
Unlike the 9/11 monument at the World Trade Center, the government does not maintain this fragile memorial. In 2011, the MTA told the New York Times, "It is not the policy of MTA to erect memorials within the system. The posting of names on the walls at Union Square was not authorized by the MTA, and we are not able to maintain it." Since no government agency has been charged to preserve the memorial, vandals could rip away the labels.
Lin's installation also bears its age: the browning stickers remind passersby of the passage of time.
Ironically, this very deterioration has turned it into a living memorial of sorts.
Although 9/11 robbed its victims of the chance to age, they have been given a chance to grow old on this wall.
"I still cannot believe that it is still up. And that it still resonates with folks… It moves me quite a bit that this little project still has an impact." Lin said.
