Artists Registry

fulton
James fulton

Installation Proposal for “The Towers”
The Freedom Tower

I envision “The Towers” as a large scale installation to be placed on the lobby ceiling of the Freedom Tower. This project has been in process for 6 years. First is the image… I did not want to paint the view of The Towers from a distance. I feel the view from the horizon or from a distance would allow the viewer to disconnect from the Trade Center. I am from New York and I think the most powerful and personal image was standing on the sidewalk between the Towers and looking straight up at them. I could feel the “awe inspiring power” of the two structures shooting up into the sky. I always found that moment was a time to reflect on my actual size in this world. It was a view that engulfed me every time I was there. It was a view that allowed me to get the purest view of the buildings without any other relationships other than myself, the towers and the heavens above. I created an image that was secure, without threat of harm. The painting will have an intense warm center with a heavenly glow. My vision is to paint this image 20’by 20’ or larger. I would love to create the painting 30’ square or even 40’ square. The larger the work I feel the more people will connect with the image. My vision is to have the painting installed onto a 15’ or higher ceiling; this will allow the viewer to be engulfed with that same view as if the towers were rising above them. I want them to feel as if they are in the painting. “Engulfed… losing themselves, even for just a moment”. One of the characteristics of my paintings is the stream of consciousness writings I incorporate directly into the compositions. Included in this proposal is the writing that is found in “The Towers”. The writing is meant to capture the thoughts of an individual learning about the attack. The thoughts of people that lost loved ones as well as the thoughts of the people that were trapped inside. Another possibility would be to include the names of all the victims lost. The words are used to create the image of the windows. The installation could also be a vertical design with-in the same size speculations.
The actual creation process could be done on or off site. The image could be completed on a series of separate panels to be unified at the time of installation. The cost of the project depends on a number of potential factors. One of them being, whether it will be created on or off site? Another factor would be the time constraints placed on the project. Once these questions are answered a final cost will be give promptly.

fulton
James fulton

This is the stream of consciousness writing that is incorporated into the painting “The Towers.” I include many of my writings directly into my work. Obviously my writing is in the original painting, but I have also envisioned the names of all the people lost on 9/11 incorporated into a future public work in the place of my writing.

“The Towers”

Running in the morning,
It was a beautiful day, 9-11-01
I forgot how long ago it was?
It’s crazy, it happened so fast.
It’s crazy, sitting there and watching all those lives perish.
It’s crazy not realizing that those buildings were going to come down.
It’s crazy to then realize that you may actually know somebody in the towers.
It’s Jeff… Uncle Jeff… call my grandmother…
Jeff is okay…
Michael is down there…
He’s okay…
It’ s a crazy reality, the fact that at one moment our entire family was connected, finally connected at that one moment. Every one was accounted for. Accounted for? Accounted for? I thought every one in the country was in danger… where would they strike next? Then I start thinking about all those people sitting and looking out their office windows, calling his wife…telling her he’s not coming home…telling his wife’s voice that just beeped because it’s the answering machine…he’s not coming home. She only went to work for an hour… she was lucky… she just needed to pick up her coat. In a moment loved ones are in situations that they never thought they would ever be in.
“I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“I’ll see you later”
“I love you baby!”
“Honey are we going out with your parents tonight?”
“ I can’t wait to go into work today”
“ I can’t wait to go to Windows on the World” …
Again do I know anybody? What do you think was going through their heads?
“ I can’t believe this is happening!”
10,000 people all at once! How the hell are they going to get out of there?
“I’m scared.”
It came down… they both came down.
“LOOK AT IT !”
“ I can’t, my DADDY is in there.”
“ My MOMMY is in there.”
“ I know they’re OK.”
“I wish this wasn’t happening.”
“Who did this?”
“I’m only 9.”
“I’m only married for a year.”
“I have a baby on the way.”
“I love you soooo much BABY.”
“ Take care of my Mom.”
They went up… no questions asked…
They just went knowing they weren’t coming back down!
“OH MY GOD! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?”
“ I’ll be OK.”
“I’m so alone right now.”
“It’s so quiet.”
“I wish I told him I loved him.”
“I wish I was better to her.”
“I don’t want to die?”
“This is horrible.”
“PLEASE GOD SAVE ME!”
“It’s so quiet now.”

-James Ful.ton