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Pogue in the News
| The
Missourian |
Wednesday,
May 14, 2003 |
Page
7A |
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Rare
Glass at Center of Memorial Sculptures
Washington artist Larry Pogue created these metal sculptures to
display two small pieces of glass found at Ground Zero after the
World Trade Center Towers collapsed Sept. 11, 2001. The glass
pieces, which measure about 2 inches by 3 inches and 2 inches by 2
inches in size, are at the center of the sculptures, which are meant
to have a "before" and "after" feel. Twin Towers
I, on the left, represents the towers before the planes hit, said
Pogue, and Twin Towers II represents the ensuing chaos. Pogue is
donating the sculptures to the New York Police Department (NYPD) and
the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) |
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Artist
Creates Sculptures for Rare Glass Pieces From Ground Zero
By Karen Cernich
Missourian Staff Writer
|
Two jagged chunks of glass, each smaller than a child's hand, that were among the largest pieces recovered from Ground Zero after the World Trade Center Towers collapsed Sept. 11, 2001, are the centerpieces of two metal sculptures created by Washington artist Larry Pogue.
The sculptures, named Twin Towers I and Twin Towers II, both dated Sept. 11, 2002, were created by Pogue as memorials to the victims of the terrorist attack that brought down the towers. They will be donated to the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).
Pogue was given the glass pieces by Lynette Miller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Miller, Washington, who lives in New York City and did volunteer work at Ground Zero. Miller worked closely with members of the NYPD and FDNY and knew the departments were looking for an appropriate way to display these rare glass pieces.
She quickly suggested that Pogue, whom she's known since she was a child, could have the answer. The departments entrusted Miller with the two glass pieces, which she wrapped in cotton, stored in a small box and hand delivered to Pogue at Christmas-time 2001.
"I was very complimented that she would think of me for this," said Pogue. "These are very serious pieces of glass that needed the right hands to put them in a small memorial setting."
Yet Pogue didn't get to work on the project right away. He waited about three months.
"Artists work from life experience," he explained, "so I needed to let it gestate for a while to decide what I wanted to do."
Looking back, Pogue can't explain how the idea for the sculptures finally came to him. In fact, he didn't set out to design these sculptures specifically for the glass pieces.
"When I work, I do a series of pieces, usually six at a time," he said. "I was working on a series I called Cathexis (which means the mental or emotional energy in a thing or person), and when I finished the sixth piece, I stood back and looked at them and two of the pieces were appropriate to accept these pieces of glass."
Looking at the Twin Towers I and II sculptures they have a "before" and "after" appearance. Twin Towers I is more vertical and symmetrical as the towers were before the planes hit, while Twin Towers II is clearly chaotic with a bent piece of narrow metal that resembles the falling antenna from the North Tower.
Still the sculptures aren't obvious and allow room for personal interpretation.
"As a sculptor, I like to make people think," said Pogue. "I don't like to solve all the problems. I like for people to visually figure things out for themselves."
The glass pieces at the center of the sculptures bear black scorch marks and scratches that will likely conjure up visual memories of what happened Sept. 11, 2001. Pogue noted he did not clean or alter the glass pieces in any way.
"It was a little eerie when I held them for the first time," he commented. "It's almost like looking at the ashes of a loved one."
Pogue is preparing to ship the Twin Towers sculptures to New York via U.S. mail. Events remembering the victims of Sept. 11 are being planned for this June, he noted, so the arrival of the sculptures will be timely.
The only payment Pogue is requesting for his work on the sculptures is a photograph of where they are placed.
Entering WTC
Memorial Competition
Currently Pogue is preparing an application for the World Trade Center Memorial Competition to have his artwork be displayed at Ground Zero. The 30-page registration application is due by May 29 and artwork submissions are due by June 30.
Pogue will be working with a former student of his from East Central College, Ron Engermann, to design a submission.
"I already have a concept, a working idea, that's gestating in my mind," said Pogue. "I'm thinking of something that's 90 feet tall and 30 feet wide at the base.
"That may change some," he said, "but I think this needs to be something of monumental height."
The rules for the competition are tight. Pogue said there's a list of criteria that are required to be addressed in the artwork.
Although at this point Pogue isn't expecting to win, he's enjoying the process and the possibility.
"Egotistically, I would love to win," he remarked, "but I'm a tadpole in a very, very large pond. Still it's fun to try.
"I'm an ex-college professor and used to always tell my students, 'You can't win anything unless you try.'
"So many people from around the world will be entering, it will be like winning the lottery," said Pogue.
"I think it might be easier to win the lottery," he joked. |
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