The documentary film Simon and the Smoke (Simon og røgen) is a portrait of the artist Simon Debel and his struggle to realise his life’s project, The Recreation of the Twin Towers in Smoke.
Credits List:
Director: Frederik Løchte
Editor: Andrea Lind Andersen // Sound design: Bjørn Refstrup Køhrsen // Music Composer: Jakob Løchte // Producers: Sebastian Pasquel & Charlotte Ruge // Archival footage: Steen Andersen // Pyrotechnic supervisor: Ole Olsen // Additional Camera: Sebastian Pasquel // Colour grading: Simon Roland // Gaffer & Archival research: Emma Herlevsen // Special thanks: Camille Godefroy, Jakup Klein, Malaika Nyman
DR Radiofortællinger (Danish Broadcasting System’s Radio Stories) has made a podcast about the first years of the project that ended when Simon Debel was in an accident in his workshop. Hence, we put the project on hold for many years. Now you can hear the exciting but tragic story and how Simon recovered, so we have now initiated the second part of this unique and mind-blowing project.
Listen: DR RADIOFORTÆLLINGER “KUNST, RØG OG AFBRÆNDT HUD”
About the Recreation of Twin Towers In Smoke
High above the New York skyline, a helicopter approaches the water between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay. A huge object is attached to the helicopter.
The object is released and falls through the air. It falls towards the water, and at a height of 417 meters, white smoke begins to pour out of the object, so that a trail of smoke is drawn downward through the air. As it collides with the water five seconds later, the last standing of the Twin Towers is recreated in smoke in its full stature – ONE:ONE.
“And this solitary tower, which still stands, surrounded by the smoke from the destruction
of the other tower, its twin, is like a lonely human being in the most exposed and vulnerable
state, who in all its frailty faces a chaotic and unpredictable world.”
In a few minutes, the sculpture dissolves into the air, but will still be part of our memory.
ONE:ONE – THE CONSTRUCTION
The steel construction is a huge cross consisting of four cone-shaped, triangular structures. Steel cable is
stretched from the end of the cross to form a square of 63,4 meters x 63,4 meters. This is also the ground
area of each of the Twin Towers.
On each of the four sides, smoke bombs are attached along the steel cable. The number of smoke bombs is 60 on each side, which equals that was the number of vertical columns that held the facade of the Twin Towers.
From the lowest cross string in the construction are attached steel cable which runs down to a weight. The construction is built so that the weight is distributed uniformly. Because the weight works like a gravity engine, the construction will function like a parachute. From the topmost of the strings are attached strings of steel cable, which lead up to a lifting eye that can be attached to the helicopter.
The entire construction is elevated by a helicopter to an altitude of approximately 1000 meters. Afterwards, the construction is released and falls towards the water. During the first 583 meters, the construction picks up speed until it reaches maximum velocity. When it is 417 m above the water, it should have reached a velocity of 300 km per hour. At that height, all the 240 smoke bombs are ignited, whereupon each bomb draws a long, straight, vertical trail of white smoke. Approximately five seconds after the smoke bombs are ignited, the construction will hit the water.
Together, the 240 smoke trails shape the North of the Twin Towers in smoke – 1:1.
Artist: Simon Debel
Project Manager and Conceptual Design: Steen Andersen
Test frame.