The poignant twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11 bombings has just been marked, and Cambridge is looking at the dramatic images taken by American photographer Bill Biggart on that fateful day, and telling the story of how his instinct to get closer ultimately cost him his life.
FOR THOSE WHO were around at that time, the events that took place in New York on September 11, 2001 will have left an indelible mark. Watching the twin towers of the World Trade Centre collapse after being hit by two hijacked planes was a surreal and horrific experience, one that was hard to believe was actually happening.
For documentary photographer Bill Biggart, who just happened to be in the vicinity at the time, the instinct was not to turn and run to safety but to head with his cameras towards the epicentre of the action to record what was happening. What he encountered was an unimaginable scene of chaos and confusion as the towers burned and rescue services tried their best to cope with a scenario on a scale that was beyond comprehension.
Biggart continued to take photographs as the disaster escalated, until the moment when the North Tower suddenly collapsed, giving him no opportunity to escape. He died alongside several others, his body being recovered several days later from under the rubble, his broken and shattered cameras found close by. Remarkably many of the images he took in his final moments were subsequently salvaged, and they serve as a testament to the bravery of photographers who put their lives on the line to record history in the making in all of its raw brutality.
In his regular podcast this month Cambridge is recounting this incredible story, and taking a personal look at four of Biggart’s images, and talking through his feelings about them, and the sacrifice made to achieve them. A quarter of a century on they still resonate with power and emotion, and are a chilling reminder of that dark day when war came to the heart of America.
- Bill Biggart’s images, and those from fellow photojournalist Suzanne Plunkett, are currently on show at the Imperial War Museum in London, the first time his work has been on public display outside of the US. More information about the IWM’s programme to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 can be found here.
Estudio EA