One of the most enduring memorials that emerged in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2011, is the Tribute in Light. The poignant installation debuted on March 11, 2002, the six-month anniversary of the attacks, and was initially intended to be a temporary memorial. But now, 15 years later, it’s a fixture of the city’s larger tributes around the anniversary of 9/11.
The installation itself is a feat of engineering that was initially spearheaded by the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. As conceived by a collective of New York artists, the memorial features 88 powerful searchlights placed into two 48-foot squares on the roof of a parking garage. When the lights are turned on, they project enormous beams that evoke the shape and size of the Twin Towers.
Though the tribute has been tested in the days leading up to the anniversary, it will be turned on for the official memorial at dusk, with the public invited to see it from the 9/11 Memorial until midnight tonight. (But it’s hard to miss—it can be seen from as far as 60 miles away.)
To see how this moving tribute comes together, check out this video.