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Elisabeth Biondi, former Visuals Editor of The New Yorker

“The picture Gilles Peress took for The New Yorker is indelibly burned into my mind. It was then after the devastating event and it is now, 10 years after. When I think of that day, I remember calling Gilles on his cell right after the first tower had been hit asking him to get to Ground Zero. Come to think of it, the word had not as yet been coined. His reply was that he was already on the bridge. The result was an extraordinary set of photographs which we published in our special issue with the famous black cover by Art Spiegelman. It came out on the Monday directly following the attack. Then and as now, I live in Tribeca near Ground Zero which meant my life had been changed for a long time. At the beginning, it reminded me of the stories my mother told me about World War II. All seemed to be a dark, foul smelling haze and I heard fire sirens day and night. I used to be able to see the towers from my roof. I felt their absence and I yearned to see what was left. I could not. It was sealed off on Guiliani’s orders. Gilles’ amazing pictures filled the void. They are still with me.”