 remember each life one flower at a time |
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Photographers: Todd Rosenberg |
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| What it's about The Sunflower Project NYC started in the Spring of 2002 as a living memorial planting project to remember the people lost on 9/11, to honor their families, to thank the people everywhere who contributed to the recovery, and to make our world better, one patch at a time. The idea was for individuals, groups and communities to create their own sunflower memorials everywhere-- to remember and honor life with living, growing symbols of renewal and hope. Why sunflowers? The official September 11th memorial in NYC will not be in place any time soon. We felt something should be in place --not just at Ground Zero, but everywhere. There is a power and healing that comes with digging in the dirt, planting new life and nurturing its growth. It also grows community. Sunflowers are easy to grow, and brighten up the most forgotten, neglected places. Like New Yorkers, sunflowers are tenacious, surviving and thriving in adverse conditions. Sunflower improve the ground and air where they grow, attracting birds and butterflies. They make sense as one tall way to remember life and make it a bit better-- it's hard not to look up in their presence. Single sunflowers, or fields of them, remind me of people. They grow as tall as people (or taller), blooming in all colors and shapes, each with an individual personality and singular beauty...just like the people we wish to remember. |
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| The Goal Our goal in the Spring of 2002 was to see 3,000 sunflowers blooming by the one year anniversary of 9/11- one for each person lost. Though the summer drought, pesky dogs and even peskier bureaucracy limited the total blooms we saw in New York, there were huge flowers blooming here by the anniversary-- and a community grew as well, helped by the outpouring of support from across the country. We set out in groups and individually and planted (and replanted and replanted) 7,000 seeds all over New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. We sent "seed starter kits" and people planted sunflowers across the country, and as far off as Australia and Europe. We cleaned up ratty planters and abandoned tree pits, filled them with flowers, and grew indoor crops of potted sunflowers for adoption and delivery to firehouses, police stations and hospitals, We covered the ground zero area with nearly 300 cut sunflower pairs on the eve of the anniversary. |
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The Present
We hope that each year people will take the idea of the Sunflower Project NYC and make it their own by planting memorial sunflower patches everywhere -- on street corners, front porches and stoops, by their firehouses, police stations, hospitals, schools, and anywhere that has been overlooked or could be made better. Plant on your own, with your children, your friends, neighbors, your community. Make each patch a living, personal memorial. Sunflowers symbolize many things-- loyalty, devotion, pride, wishes... Our wish is to see sunflowers, in the hands of people, become a new symbol of remembrance, honor and hope-- through the creation of sunflower memorials that remember the lost, honor the living and hope for a real peace for all....this year and every year. Plant one flower. Plant 100. One person with one pack of seeds can be powerful. |
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Sunflower photos courtesy of Photographer/DesignerJuren David
Sunflower Project NYC Haiku
In New York, Cher can
strut nude--no notice. Plant seeds?
People stop. What's that?
www.sunflowersnyc.com
remember each life one flower at a time