September 11 Digital Archive

The Sonic Memorial Project

Title

The Sonic Memorial Project

Description

SonicMemorial.org is an open archive and an online audio installation of the history of The World Trade Center. It collected stories, ambient sounds, voicemails, and archival recordings to tell the rich history of the twin towers, the neighborhood and the events of 9/11. Led by NPR's Lost & Found Sound, The Sonic Memorial Project is a cross-media collaboration of more than 50 independent radio and new media producers, artists, historians, and people from around the world who have contributed personal and archival recordings. To date, we have gathered more than 1,000 contributions, many of which have been woven into feature stories by Lost & Found Sound and broadcast on NPR. SonicMemorial.org is produced by Picture Projects and dotsperinch in collaboration with Lost & Found Sound.

Items in the The Sonic Memorial Project Collection

New Jersey resident Nancy Boss always used to look at the New York skyline when she was driving on Route 22--she still does. She never realized before what the WTC meant to her.

Luke Davis watched the WTC fall from his home in Astoria, Queens. He calls in March 2002 to express his admiration of the Tribute in Light memorial that was visible at night.

Former Building Stewardess, Sandy Austin Asbury talks about her FBI family.

Former WTC building stewardess Sandy Austin Asbury describes the look and feel of Lower Manhattan and the WTC construction site.

Former WTC building stewardess Sandy Austin gives the speech she used to give to observation deck visitors in 1968.

Edythe, a former WTC building stewardess, explains that Guy Tozzoli was both boss and mentor to her and many of the building stewardesses.

Edythe, a former WTC building stewardess, describes the training they received and the uniforms they wore.

Former building stewardess Olivia Zdanowiz describes her progress from beauty pageant contestant to WTC construction guide.

Former WTC building stewardess Olivia Zdanowiz describes the uniforms they wore.

Former WTC building stewardess Kathleen Quinn describes her early days on the job.

Former WTC building stewardess Kathleen Quinn describes her relationship with Guy Tozzoli and her training.

Former WTC building stewardess Jane Selawach describes the uniforms they had to wear, the era those outfits represented, and how the job affected her outlook on life.

Former WTC building stewardess Jane Selawach talks about the speech she gave to visitors as the buildings were being constructed.

Former WTC building stewardess Elizabeth English remembers the Mohawk Indians brought in to do high steel work.

Former WTC building stewardess Elizabeth English describes a lunch at Windows on the World before the restaurant opened and talks about how she felt about the towers and her part in their construction.

Barbara Cella Sager, one of the building stewardesses, remembers the reactions of people opposed to the WTC.

Barbara Cella Sager, one of the building stewardesses, discusses her mixed feelings about the trade center's construction.

Guy Tozzoli describes his motivation for building the WTC and what he found as the plan became a reality.

Guy Tozzoli tells the story of the WTC development and describes the scale of the project.

Nadine Robinson, an artist in residence at the WTC World Views Program, created the sound installation "Tower Hollers." In this clip, recorded at MOMA with her piece playing in background, Robinson introduces herself and tells how and why she made…

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    • The Sonic Memorial Project