2,977 Drones Recreate Twin Towers Over New York Harbor for 9/11 Memorial
On September 9, 2026, a stunning aerial artwork titled 2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor featured 2,977 illuminated drones, honoring the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Collaborating with the 9/11 community, the display commenced with the drones assembling into a constellation, evolving into a helix, and ultimately recreating the Twin Towers at their full height, with each drone symbolizing a victim. The performance was set to music by Philip Glass, Max Richter, and John Adams, showcasing various formations before concluding. This event also referenced the THINK team’s unrealized World Cultural Center proposal from 2002. The project was directed by Addison Mehr, produced by Sky Elements, designed by Yan Paul Dubbelman, and advised artistically by Studio Drift, Shigeru Ban, and Dean Maltz.
Key facts
- On September 9, 2026, 2,977 illuminated drones formed a constellation, spiraled into a helix, and recreated the Twin Towers above New York Harbor.
- The one-night public artwork was titled 2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor and honored those killed on September 11, 2001.
- Each of the 2,977 drones represented one person killed in the attacks.
- The presentation was a collaboration with members of the 9/11 community, including family members, survivors, and first responders.
- The musical score included works by Philip Glass, Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight, and John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls.
- The formation referenced the THINK team’s unbuilt World Cultural Center proposal, developed in 2002.
- Creative director and executive producer Addison Mehr led the work; Sky Elements produced the aerial presentation; Yan Paul Dubbelman served as designer.
- Studio Drift, Shigeru Ban, and Dean Maltz participated as artistic advisors.
Entities
Artists
- Addison Mehr
- Yan Paul Dubbelman
- Shigeru Ban
- Dean Maltz
- Philip Glass
- Max Richter
- John Adams
- Brenda Berkman
- Rafael Viñoly
- David Rockwell
- Lonneke Gordijn
- Ralph Nauta
- Tim Brown
- Terry Strada
- Jim Smith
- Moira Smith
- Genevieve Siller
- Stephen Siller
- Daniel Libeskind
Institutions
- Studio Drift
- Sky Elements
- THINK team
- Drift
- Think
- Studio Libeskind
- New York City Fire Department
- Foster + Partners
- Dezeen
- Elbphilharmonie
- Burning Man
- FDNY
- NYPD
- 9/11 Families United
- THINK Team
- Perelman Performing Arts Center
- St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine
- American Express
- Galerie Magazine
- The New York Foundation of the Arts
- Sky Elements Drone Shows
- IDEKO
- New York Foundation for the Arts
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Manhattan
- New York Harbor
- World Trade Center
- Governors Island
- Hamburg
- Germany
- New York
- Lower Manhattan
- Netherlands
- 2 World Trade Center
- USA
- Ground Zero
- World Trade Center site