On September 11 one of the messages on our answering…
“On September 11 one of the messages on our answering machine was from The New Yorker saying get down here right away for a special issue we'll be doing. That seemed so irrelevant to me, considering the cataclysm. I went to my studio for a while and I was processing the news. Because when we were in the thick of it, it just felt like Mars Attacks!, Is Paris Burning?, and I had no perspective. For a while, I thought I should go down and look for bodies. At the same time, since The New Yorker was looking for images, I thought, "Well, I'm more trained to look for images than for bodies."”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The artist describes the dissonance between daily work and catastrophic events, highlighting how routine can feel absurd amid crisis.
In simple terms: Work feels odd during disaster.
Key Takeaway
Balance duty with self‑care in emergencies.
Themes
art
media
crisis
perception
Mood
reflective
urgent
Type
personal
observational
When to use this quote
- studio work
- news reporting
- disaster response
- creative process
Key Concepts
journalism
visual storytelling
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you stay grounded when normal tasks clash with tragedy?
- What role does art play in processing collective trauma?
A Different Perspective
Creative focus may distract from urgent realities.