A sculpture made from a reclaimed World Trade Center
girder that was left to rust in a Cambridgeshire farmyard will now be installed
in the Olympic Park.
The sculpture
honours the nearly 3,000 people, including 67 Britons, killed in the 9/11
attacks on the United States.
It was
installed in Battersea Park but removed after one month, with attempts to
install it elsewhere failing.
Following
reports it had been left to rust, London mayor Boris Johnson said it would be
found a permanent home.
One of the
supporters of the project, Lord West, confirmed the sculpture had been left in
an unnamed Cambridgeshire farmyard since it was removed from Battersea.
He said the
girders were "sacred objects" in the US and only six pieces had been
sent around the world.
'Pretty shocked'
"I think
[the Americans] will be pretty shocked," he said.
"It's
pretty pathetic, I think, that no one in this great city of ours has been
willing to say we want it to have it here."
Lord West
blamed bureaucratic "back-biting" for the failure to find a permanent
home for the sculpture in London after it was initially unveiled in September
2011 - 10 years on from the attacks.
Mr Johnson said
it had proved "incredibly difficult" with opposition from
"boroughs and bureaucrats".
He said:
"Clearly this can't continue. As a result I've asked my team to find a
permanent home for the sculpture on the Olympic Park.
"The park
was home to a Games based on tolerance, harmony and respect, and will soon be
home to a massive multi-dimensional and vibrant community - the perfect riposte
to those who sought to divide the world on 9/11."
The sculpture,
titled "After 9/11", was created by US artist Miya Ando.
Source: BBC
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