Daughters of uranium exhibition
Introduction
Kavanagh’s exhibition is a solo exhibition found in art gallery in Southern Alberta. It is taking place between March 2nd ,2019 –April 28th, 2019.It is a name given to an extensive and an ongoing research by artists involving research on atomic history, culture and military it was initially the work of Mary Kavanagh. According to her the center of her work rests on Georgia O’Keefe’s letter written to Alfred Stieglitz on August 7, 1945, the New York times written from August 7th, trinitite which is a glassy residue left on the desert after a nuclear test carried out on July 16, 1945 and also the fragments that were left after the Hiroshima bombing within one kilometer of the bomb epicenter. Kavanaghs exhibition seems to revolve around these three factors and how they influenced the environment, human health and how they helped to shape the history of atomic nuclear bombs.
The New York times newspaper written from 7 th august contained details of the Hiroshima bombing. Hiroshima was a Japanese a commercial town that was bombed by the American army. The atomic bomb contained more power than 2000 tons of TNT. This bomb was also able to produce more than 2000 times blast of the largest bomb ever used before. The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima was as a result of uranium and the components contained in it. Kavanagh’s solo exhibition seeks to educate on how the manufacture and use of atomic weapons is accelerating the degradation of the environment (Kavanagh 2019). She has shown this through projection of information on boards, exhibition on boards and displaying artifacts and displaying a series of structures using glass and light her work is organized around certain central themes and a certain historic period.
After bombing Hiroshima, the town was cloaked by a cloud of smoke and dust. 8th the New York times reported that the bomb had killed at least 200,000 people. This number did not include the people who had died from injuries acquired during the bombing and those who had died due to exposure to atomic rays released during the bombing (Listwa 2012). The effect of the bomb who was a mile a way from the place where the bomb landed was capable of being alive after 32 hours. A radio station in japan announced that Hiroshima was completely destroyed and the number of people dead could not be counted (Kavanagh 2019). By using an atomic the American army had violated an international law. This atomic bomb had. The radio presenter goes ahead to explain that the bomb had killed all living things including plants and animals. Kavanagh is reflecting in to this historic period in her artistic work to show how nuclear atomic warfare was responsible for ending the life of Human beings.
Kavanagh in her exhibition, she exhibits trinitite also referred to as Alamogordo glass which is a glassy residue that was left on the floor of the desert after the trinity nuclear test that was carried out on july 16, 1945 in Mexico. This glassy residue is composed of quartz and feldspar that was melted by the heat produced by the atomic blast. Trinitite is usually mild green in color. It is a little radioactive. (Kavanagh 2019). Earlier on I had discussed that Kavanagh uses glass in her exhibition. This trinitite is the glassy substance she displays in her exhibitions to show the effect of use of atomic nuclear weapons in artistic way. She displays this as an artistic way of showing the results of the use of nuclear atomic weapons on land. Soil has been destroyed to lead to the formation of this substance.
In her work Kavanagh is concerned with the health impacts the use of atomic nuclear as has on the health of individuals and the traces present today as a result of use of nuclear weapons in the historic error. This concern of hers has been illustrated by a series of graphite drawings referred to as breath drawings. In an artistic way she goes forth and explores the effects brought forward by atomic and radioactive substances brought about by the settling of atomic particles in the body (Listwa 2012). The Hiroshima bombing had long term effects in the health’s of the people and the later generation that was to be born was still going to experience those effects. Some of these side effects were those who were exposed to radiation caused by the bomb their chances of suffering from cancer increase. These cancer incidents were not present until ten years after the bombing.
In her exhibition Kavanagh uses a two covered plinths to display samples of trinitite from Mexico, and the fragments that were collected after the bombing of Hiroshima. In an artistic way she is connecting the bombing of Hiroshima to the trinity test carried out in Mexico (Listwa 2012). Her connection with the work of artist Georgia O’ keefe is shown by how she uses plant materials from white sand desert which was Georgia’s home. This arrangement of artifacts was important in connecting the three aspects that are the center of her artistic work. Her use of plants from Georgia’s home is artistically showing the history of atomic nuclear bombs.
Kavanaghs work has a relationship with Georgia O’Keefe’s letter written to Alfred Stieglitz on august 7, 1945 because she wrote this letter while in ghost ranch in white sand. There is a plant from this desert in Kavanaghs exhibition. This is still the same desert where the trinity test was carried out in the year 1945. She also uses uranium glassware to display these plants (Popova 2011). Uranium is one of the components in that were present in the bomb that was responsible for the destruction of Hiroshima and also it was one of the components that were present in the bombs that were being tested in the desert. Covering this plants with uranium glass ware is an artistic symbol.
conclusion
Kavanaghs work reflects on the history of the manufacture of atomic weapons by military and the long term effects these nuclear atomic weapons have on the effects on human, on the environment and the traces of these effects in history. In the gallery she artistically displays images and artifacts and plants to show the history of atomic nuclear weapons. She symbolically uses Georgia a late artist from America whose homeland was used for testing nuclear atomic weapons. She uses a picture of the Ney York times to show the cloud that cloaked Hiroshima after the bombing. Her work shows the history of the time atomic nuclear bombs were starting to be used and the current position of atomic nuclear warfare materials. She has well illustrated her work using displays and even video projection.
References
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Long Term Effects, retrieved from; https://k1project.columbia.edu/news/hiroshima-and-nagasaki
Mary Kavanagh/Daughters of uranium, retrieved; from https://www.saag.ca/art/exhibitions/0738-mary-kavanagh-%7C-daughters-of-uranium
My Faraway One: The Passionate Love Letters of Georgia O’ Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, retrieved from; https://www.brainpickings.org/2011/10/28/my-faraway-one-love-letters-georgia-okeeffe-alfred-stieglitz/
