Robert Rathe is a contemporary photographer based in Virginia. During the fall of 2002, he had the opportunity to photograph pieces of steel that had once been part of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. The steel had been brought to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for their investigation into the collapse of World Trade Center buildings 1, 2 and 7. These abstract photographs represent the artist’s attempt to comprehend how steel that had once been strong enough to support the tallest structures in New York were now twisted, charred and broken.
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