How the Display Was Made
Programmatic Creation
The signs were generated programmatically using python and LaTeX documents. I took data online, parsed the information into csv files, then used the pandas package in python to split, combine, and organize the data to be put into pdf form. This process generated a 2,977 page pdf with a person's name, age, place of origin, occupation, and place of death.Â
This (poorly organized) GitHub repository details my process and includes the code I used to create the signage
Organization
I've placed the first responders who lost their lives into the blue part of the flag, with the rest of the victims located either in the red & white or remaining blue space. The first responders primarily includes those in the New York Fire Department (NYFD), New York Police Department (NYPD), and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
Dimensions
The flag is an 116x26 grid of papers, coming out to 3016 total sheets.
Assembly
Physicalizing the names was a sobering moment. It's easy to lose touch with just how many people died that day. 2977 names in a file on my computer felt minuscule when compared to the sensation of seeing them laid out physically. I had to print, cut, staple, and plant the signs into the ground, each one a memory of someone lost. This project left me humbled yet proud.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the school for giving me a canvas to place this display, Mr. Laub for giving the go-ahead, and the internet for information on anything I could ask for.
A special thanks to the people who dedicated their time to this labor, including Katie, the Steyn family, and various Boy Scouts. Your help meant so much to me and my freshly calloused hands. This thank you especially goes out to my parents who encouraged me, challenged me, and made me better as a result. I thank everyone again from the deepest most honest portion of my heart.