Saturday, December 24, 2011

The Jersey Side Project

 
From Across the River

The story of September 11, 2001 from the
New Jersey perspective.          

Photography by Sandra Swieder 


Immediately following the attacks on September 11, 2001, Hudson County’s waterfront became the hub for emergency personnel, volunteers and over 400,000 survivors who were ferried from lower Manhattan and brought to the Jersey waterfront. 

Upon their arrival to the Jersey side, thousands were decontaminated, triaged, hospitalized and given shelter. A waterfront triage started on the morning of September 11th grew to a four-block radius of emergency personnel, volunteers and supplies. The staging area at Exchange Place in Jersey City became the lifeline to ground zero.

As a photographer and a resident of Hudson County, Sandra Swieder was able to document the events of September 11th from the collapse of the second tower, to the waterfront rescue and recovery efforts, to the memorials. She then established relationships with key emergency personnel and collected their stories. Swieder has created a historical record through her lens with the help of key emergency players who contributed first-hand accounts and has produced The Jersey Side Project. The Jersey Side Project consists of a photography exhibit titled From Across the River and a documentary The Jersey Side.

“It is extremely important to preserve the history of events that transpired on the Jersey side.” said, Ms. Swieder. “This project illustrates what took place along the Hudson River and how New Jersey responded to the immediate needs of lower Manhattan that Tuesday morning and in the days, weeks and months following. ‘From Across the River’ seeks to pay tribute to the victims of the Garden State and to capture a moment when ordinary people became players in their nation’s history.”


Presently From Across the River is on view at the Hoboken Business Center.
For more information go to www.sandraswieder.com







No comments:

Post a Comment