Messages that speak to the heart

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Messages of hope and peace from Staten Island clergy were placed inside a 9/11 memorial cross at an event on Wednesday in Castleton Corners organized by the Building Bridges Coalition of Staten Island.

The 14-foot tall, 500-pound cross was commissioned by and ultimately will be displayed at St. Peter’s R.C. Church in Manhattan. The sculpture will be substituted for the I-beam cross that was found in the rubble of 9/11 and has been kept at St. Peter’s for about the past five years. The I-beam cross will be returned to the original site as part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

The new cross made a stop on July 15 at the “Postcards” memorial in St. George in a tribute to firefighters, cops and other borough residents who died on 9/11.

On Wednesday, Island clergy from many faiths dropped their notes inside a hole in the stainless steel cross, crafted by Los Angeles sculptor Jon Krawczyk.

Mona Zaloom, coordinator of Building Bridges, used the group’s Peace Pole slogan, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” as her message.

The Rev. John O’Hara, pastor of St. Teresa’s R.C. Church, Castleton Corners, blessed the cross.

BLEEDING HEART

The cross resembles a body and the hole is about where the heart would be. Eventually, the hole will be covered with metal from 9/ll, which, over time, will rust and look like it bleeds — to remind all of the wound from the disaster that will never heal, the artist said.

The cross was over three months in the making. It was fabricated from flat sheet metal, which the artist twisted and turned, bent and hammered into shape.

The cross will be installed on a 10-foot-high base, and will stand almost 25 feet off the ground. Affixed to the base will be a book of metal pages with the names of all the 9/11 victims. After the cross is installed, it will be polished to a mirror finish so people will be reflected in the piece, Krawczyk said.

LONG JOURNEY

>The cross drew curious looks from passers-by as it was secured with four heavy duty straps to a white pick-up truck with California license plates parked on a residential street in Castleton Corners.

The artist has traveled some 5,000 miles — from California to New York — with the statue in his truck, making stops along the way to honor first responders in various states.

Islamic Cultural Centre, Tirana, Albania – BIG | Architecture ...

After any great social or economical upheaval comes rejuvenation and change. Architecture can often suffer greatly during these times, but equally so, can flourish during times of growth and expansion. Over in the Albanian capital Tirana, a massive rejuvenation project is being undertaken and architectural behemoths BIG have triumphed in an open competition to design a cultural complex. The project is an excellent example of how architecture can be used as a key instrument in rebuilding and progression. The winning design emblematic of large scale architectural interventions that aim to not only improve their local setting and interconnect with the surrounding city.

Architects BIG Collaborators Martha Schwartz Landscape, Buro Happold , Speirs & Major, Lutzenberger & Lutzenberger, and Global Cultural Asset Management

Full press release:

BIG, Martha Schwartz Landscape, Buro Happold , Speirs & Major, Lutzenberger & Lutzenberger, and Global Cultural Asset Management are today announced as the winning team of the international design competition for a new 27.000 m2 cultural complex in Albania, consisting of a Mosque, an Islamic Centre, and a Museum of Religious Harmony.

The capital Tirana is undergoing an urban transformation which includes the restoration and refurbishment of existing buildings, the construction of a series of new public and private urban structures, and the complete reconceptualization of Scanderbeg Square. This important square is the site of the new cultural complex that will consist of a Mosque, an Islamic Centre, and a Museum of Religious Harmony.

Albania is the crossroads of three major religions: Orthodox Christianity; Catholicism; and Islam. With the recent completion of two new churches, all three religions will now have new places of worship in the heart of Tirana. The complex will not only serve the Muslim community of the city and surrounding areas, but will educate the public about Islamic values and serve as a beacon for religious tolerance.

BIG’s winning entry was selected out of five finalists, including Spanish Architect Andreas Perea Ortega, Architecture Studio from France, Dutch SeARCH and London-based Zaha Hadid.

”The winning proposal was chosen for its ability to create an inviting public space flexible enough to accommodate daily users and large religious events, while harmonically connecting with the Scanderbeg square, the city of Tirana and its citizens across different religions. Additionally the project shines through its beautiful garden surrounding the new Mosque and Center of Islamic Culture which symbolically features the rich vegetation described in Islamic literature. Finally the team’s awareness of the economic aspects of this important development will contribute to a successful realization of this project.” Mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama.