Here Down on Dark Earth
Loss and Remembrance in New York City
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Discover New York’s poignant memorials through powerful photographs capturing everything from fleeting tributes to enduring monuments
The photographs in Here Down on Dark Earth document the many ways New Yorkers express their intertwined feelings of loss and remembrance. The famous and the unknown, the rich and the poor, meet the same fate, but how they are mourned and remembered varies greatly. New York City’s monuments and memorials are large and small, civic and personal, traditional and vernacular, planned and spontaneous. Some commemorate a significant event such as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, others the death of a single child hit by a stray bullet. A memorial of stone and steel dedicated to deceased WWII veterans from a church parish may outlast a painted Rest-In-Peace (RIP) memorial wall for a slain teenager. Still, both grow out of the feeling of loss and a desire to preserve the memory of departed loved ones.
As Racioppo traveled throughout New York City, he became increasingly aware of the impermanence of these memorials. The paint eventually peels, and the image gradually disappears. Sanitation workers remove the rotted toys and flowers. Small and personal, or large and communal, created by professionals or amateurs, the memorials in Here Down on Dark Earth express a powerful sense of loss and connection. Throughout the book, the author’s contextual notes accompany the poignant photographs depicting these expressions of remembrance.
Death is an unavoidable reality, that we all will inevitably face. Though our way of honoring one’s passing may differ according to our culture, race, creed or religion, the pain of losing someone can be devastating and life-changing. Larry Racioppo's poignant photographs and words give life to those who are no longer physically present.---Jamel Shabazz, Photographer
Larry Racioppo’s photographs take you to the heart of the commemorative impulse — its diverse expressions and the passion behind them. The commission of official memorials should start here.---Harriet F. Senie, author of Monumental Controversies: Mount Rushmore, Four Presidents, and Our Quest for National Identity
Here Down on Dark Earth is a brilliant book, equal parts heartbreak and beauty. With an abundance of elegance and grace, Larry Racioppo has captured the ways in which New Yorkers grieve, how the memories of their loved ones are preserved, and how the dead go on living in this city long after they’re gone. I will not soon forget these photographs.---Said Sayrafiezadeh, author of American Estrangement
Larry Racioppo’s photographs remind us of the deep human desire to remember the departed. With an unerring eye he captures diverse memorials created by New Yorkers on city streets that endure as powerful expressions of loss and love. Take a walk with Racioppo's Here Down on Dark Earth and discover a New York you probably never really noticed before.---Deborah Dash Moore, author of Walkers in the City: Jewish Street Photographers of Midcentury New York
Larry Racioppo, born in South Brooklyn in 1947, has been documenting New York City through his lens since 1971. His work is featured in the collections of the Museum of the City of New York, the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, El Museo del Barrio, and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. His previous books include Coney Island Baby, B-Ball NYC, and Brooklyn Before: Photographs, 1971–1983. Learn more at www.larryracioppo.com.
Clifford Thompson (Text By)
Clifford Thompson is an award-winning Brooklyn-based writer and artist. His works include What It Is, exploring racial and personal identity. Thompson has received the Whiting Writers’ Award and his essay “La Bohème” was selected for the Pushcart Prize Anthology. He contributes to major publications, teaches creative nonfiction, and exhibits his paintings at New York’s Blue Mountain Gallery.
Jan Ramirez (Text By)
Jan Ramirez has been the Chief Curator and Director of Collections at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum since 2006, where she oversees the preservation and interpretation of artifacts that memorialize the September 11 attacks and their aftermath.
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