9/10/2021 The Art Angle Podcast - featuring Simon Aldridge

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Thousands of people who worked at the trade center or who witnessed the events of 9/11, or who lost loved ones, have stories about that. Among these are the artists of the World Views Artists Residency.

In a terrible irony, the Port Authority started the residency to try to draw businesses back to unused office space following the earlier 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Run by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, World Views gave each cohort all-hours access to the building and six months of workspace on the 91st and 92nd floors of the north tower.

As the name suggests, World Views brought applicants from around the world, drawn to the prestige of New York and the chance to make work in such a unique space with its dramatic views of the city. Naomi Ben-Shahar, Monika Bravo, Simon Aldridge, and Jeff Konigsberg were four of the 15 artists participating in the World Views Residency in 2001.

Amid the commemorations and reflections on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we asked them to share their memories of the space, of the tragic day, and how the experience shaped their lives and work thereafter.