If you are not yet familiar with the work of Suse Lowenstein and her sculpture, Dark Elegy, currently in Montauk, please read on. Sometimes being a parent or caregiver is bittersweet as we must deal with the realities of what this world gives and sometimes takes from us.
On the rainy, foggy morning of September 12th, I had the opportunity to visit the memorial, Dark Elegy, a tribute to those that died on the Pan Am Flight 103 and to those who had to live on after losing one of these victims. Many of us remember this as the Flight over Lockerbie, Scotland that was brought down in 1988 by a terrorist bombing. Suse son, Alexander Lowenstein, was one of the many victims on that flight. He was 21 years of age.
It was a sobering, raw experience that reached my deepest sense of the love and concern one has when bringing a child into this world- that that child could one day be taken from you. The sculpture is composed of figures of women in shock and grief. Each one portraying a woman after learning of the loss of a child or loved one on the flight. Each of these women personally posed for Suse. As I stood before this larger than life size sculpture I was engulfed by the initial pain, sorrow and shock that these women faced as well as the hole in their lives that could never fully be repaired.
Being there on September 12th in the wake of 9/11, made it a place of reflection and sadness for me. The reality of terrorism as well as the vulnerability that we all share as humans reminds us of the fragility of life. There was also something very calm and serene about this sculpture and space as it is surrounded by the beautiful grounds of Suse’s home at 11 East Lake Drive. It is also a place built on love one can only have for one’s own child. Suse’s sculpture garden is open to the public every day of the year from 10 am -12 noon. When you turn onto East Lake Drive from 27 it is the first driveway on the left.
You can also visit Dark Elegy virtually at http://www.darkelegy103.com/index.html. Suse is prepared to donate Dark Elegy with full funding for maintenance to a place and space that could be accessed by more.
Tags: Dark elegy, Memorial, Sculpture, Suse Lowenstein
oh, wow. Thank you for having the courage to include this in your newsletter this week, Heather. What a powerful work and cause. And what an incredible thing to have here in Montauk.