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Eyes Wide Open visited three locations over the course of ten days in August and September of 2004. The iconic boots made graceful concentric circles on Cherry Hill in Central Park, sitting between the “Strawberry Fields” of Beatles fame and the Bethesda Fountain. Inside Judson Memorial Church, the exhibit was graced by candlelight. And in Union Square, shoppers from the nearby open air market stopped to pay attention and offer respect.

Some of the most moving moments occurred for people who stumbled on the exhibit by accident. A taxi driver stepped out of his cab to watch the setup, and stumbled upon his own nephew’s boots. He was overcome with emotion and had to abandon his cab for the day. A shopper, laden with packages from the market, spontaneously laid her bouquet of flowers on top of a bag of shoes representing Iraqi civilians.

A woman looked in vain for her son’s boots, and sought help from a volunteer. In the background, readers were solemnly calling out the names of U.S. and Iraqi casualties. At the very moment the woman reached down to touch her son’s boots, the reader announced his name.

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Photos by Marq Anderson unless otherwise noted