For years, Artist Suse Lowenstein has opened her lovely secluded home and sculpture garden each day, right here in Montauk, for visitors to experience her very personal work of art -DARK ELEGY. Inspired by the loss of her eldest son in the tragedy of Pan Am flight 103, from London to NY that went down over Lockerbie, Scotland in an act of terrorism; this exhibit is a memorial to all those who lost their lives to terrorism.
Over the past few years I have had a number of conversations with Mrs. Lowenstein and she’s shared stories and memories of using her talent as a sculptor to help her grieve the loss of her eldest son Alexander as well as the 270 people who lost their lives on that day. If you have ever visited her garden at 11East Lake Dr., which is open daily from 10am-12pm- and have viewed the 76 larger than life figures of women in poses as unique as their re- actions to their individual loss, you know how powerful Lowenstein she can tell stories of the people represented by each sculpture in the garden- all surviving relatives of the passengers on flight 103. However, it’s not just an amazing work of art and memorial to that one flight, but it depicts raw emotions shared by all surviving member of any act of terrorism.
Mrs. Lowenstein’s wish is for the sculptures to be more readily available for the Montauk community and its visitors. She and her husband have been looking for a permanent home for her sculpture garden and were working with the East Hampton town board to get permission to place them in Kirk Park. However, due to the growing controversy over that location, the Lowenstein’s decided to withdraw their offer. They commented that they love Montauk too much to allow this issue to divide the community.
As is true with any memorial, this exhibit is an important reminder of the lives that have been lost through the growing number of terrorist acts our country has experienced. It is a wonderful work of art which inspires empathy, emotion and reflection, and should be viewed as such. If you haven’t had a chance to see this amazing work of art, you should take time for a visit.
