Thousands of drones formed the Twin Towers above New York Harbor on Wednesday, creating a temporary memorial for the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.
The installation, titled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor,” used 2,977 illuminated drones, with organizers saying each light represented one victim. It appeared two days before the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The display began as thousands of separate points of light before the drones moved into a rising helix and then formed the outlines of the Twin Towers. Organizers described the final image as being at “full architectural scale”.
Organizers said the work was developed with input from members of the 9/11 community, including victims’ relatives, survivors and first responders.
Drones form Twin Towers in a memorial shaped by the 9/11 community
The helix sequence also carried a historical reference. Organizers said it drew from the THINK team’s “World Cultural Center,” an unrealized proposal for rebuilding the World Trade Center site after the attacks. Ban was one of the architects behind that proposal, which featured open lattice towers rising around the footprints of the former buildings.
New York honours 9/11 victims by recreating Twin Towers in drone show pic.twitter.com/iumgPkctJD
— Leo Brincat (@LeoBrincat) September 10, 2026
The soundtrack included music by Philip Glass, John Adams and Max Richter. Among the named works was Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls,” which the New York Philharmonic commissioned for the first anniversary of 9/11.
The Sept. 9 date was shaped by security restrictions, according to Studio Drift co-founder Ralph Nauta, who told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that authorities did not permit the large drone formation to fly on the eve of Sept. 11.
New York City’s Notify NYC service also issued a public alert that evening about an illuminated memorial drone show over the harbor near South Street.
Security rules moved the memorial display
The event was separate from New York’s annual “Tribute in Light,” although organizers said the new artwork was designed “in dialogue with” the long-running memorial.
The familiar blue beams visible during the drone show were being tested ahead of their formal Sept. 11 presentation. The drones and Twin Towers formation therefore appeared alongside a test of the older memorial, not its official anniversary display.
The project said it was privately funded along with additional support from Pershing Square Philanthropies.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
