September, 2001
A design for a large-scale interactive mural

© 2001, Michael O'Rourke

This is a design for a 10' x 60' interactive mural, developed in reaction to the attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Towers in New York City.

The imagery attempts to capture the complex, and frequently contradictory, feelings and thoughts this event gave rise to – the horror of the devastation, the pain of the loss, the shock – but at the same time, the vibrancy and vitality of people, the beauty and excitement of this large city. The Hindu god, Shiva, is simultaneously god of destruction and god of birth.

The intended scale of the mural is 10' x 60'. Construction is to be in one of two ways: a) as an interactive mural, consisting of ceramic-tile imagery, live processed video , pre-recorded sound and pre-recorded video; or b) as a ceramic-tile mural without electronic components.  Click to see a diagram of the multimedia components. The composition can also be printed for interior display as a smaller tiled print on paper.

A variation on this image, entitled September 2001, #2, was developed as a limited-edition print on paper.

Click on the rollover areas to see details.