Lower Manhattan these days is a study in contrasts. The financial district is striving to get back up to speed, albeit under conditions of a slowing economy. Meanwhile, just steps away, trucks continue to cart away debris. The area immediately surrounding where the Trade Center used to stand remains cordoned off -- a world apart from the rest of New York.

Every day, hundreds, if not thousands of people come to the edge of no-man's land to view the devastastion. The collapse of the Trade Center buildings was such a shocking event that many feel compelled to visualize the scene in order to be able to come to terms with the tragedy.

Photographer Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert recently spent time in lower Manhattan documenting the reaction to the September 11 attacks. The images in this photo essay attempt to convey the interaction between life and death in downtown New York.