The first use of an atomic bomb in the history of warfare was only the culmination of a series of gruesome, cruel events which were the result of half a century of modern warfare, which had introduced murder of civilian masses on a global scale by employing advanced technology. By the time World War II had ended, 20 million Russian civilians, 10 million Chinese civilians and 6 million European-Jewish civilians had died(6); globally a total of around 55 million civilians and soldiers had died(7).
The first use of an atomic bom in warfare also marked the beginning of
a new era. The immensity of the unleashed energy of an exploding
atomic bomb shocked scientists, military people and civilians alike: the
first global problem of this century had been created, and there was no
way back.
The bomb on Hiroshima became a world wide symbol for the threat of
the existence of our planet and all life on it, a threat that in the 50 years
that have passed since, we have learned to live with and, almost, to
ignore.
1. High Energy Weapons
(introduction text), Gary K.
Au. Sydney, 1995.
2. Imidas, Innovative Multi-Information Dictionary, Annual Series, p.
311. Tokyo: Shueisha, 1991.
3. Die Atombombe im japanischen Spielfilm, Barbara Geschwinde
(unpublished thesis). Gelsenkirchen, 1995.
4. Catalog of
known and putative nuclear explosions from unclassified
sources, Oklohama Geological Survey Observatory. Oklohama 1994.
5. See: Radiaton Effects Research
Foundation, Japan.
6. High Energy Weapons (introduction text), Gary K. Au. Sydney, 1995.
7. Jahre unseres Lebens 1945-1949, Dieter Franck. Hamburg: Rororo,
1983.
50 years after the explosion of the first atomic bomb, the global systems of communication and information are on the verge of explosion as well. It might be good to stand still for a moment and look back.
Victim and perpetrator/raper/killer have always been miles apart in their psychological spaces. This applies to inviduals al well as ethnic groups or countries. (It is the perpetrator's main task to deny the real implications of what he has brought about).
Suddenly the Internet came in between. Whatever digital communication does, it also enables bridging large gaps, for instance those between former enemies.
The invention of the computer, the development of artificial intelligence and the implementation of the Internet were all instigated for military purposes.
A vague suspicion tells me that the events of this century still need a lot of investigation. The event of the atomic bomb was of such great horror, high impact, beyond human understanding, that for a long, long time it may be necessary and valuable to take a closer look at various aspects which have been hidden under the dust of memory.
The winner doesn't have a monopoly on suffering.
How are we, the world, dealing with 50 years of Hiroshima?
The Hiroshima Project incorporates:
l an information trail on the World Wide Web
l a local database of information
(in cooperation with Barbara Geschwinde)
l a virtual art work
l a pointer to the home page of an art work
(in cooperation with Masahiro Miwa, Michael Hoch & Matthias
Melcher)
The Hiroshima Project can be accessed in two ways:
l a 3-D navigator enables navigation in a virtual data landscape. The 3-D
navigator is a sophisticated navigator, enabling intelligent guided search,
and can be downloaded for free on the Internet.
l a World Wide Web site on the Internet can be accessed with standard
World Wide Web client software.
The Hiroshima project will be in continuous development during the year 1995.
The Hiroshima Project is supported by the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.
Akke Wagenaar was born in the Netherlands. She studied audiovisual art, logic and media arts. Since 1990 she has been studying, working and teaching at the Institut fu¨r Neue Medien in Frankfurt and the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. She has been involved with computer art from 1987, with interactive installations from 1991, and with networking art from 1994. Her work was exhibited at several media art festivals in Europe and North America, such as the the 'Ars Electronica' in Austria, the 'Images du Futur' in Canada and the SIGGRAPH art show in the USA. She is currently working and living in Cologne, Germany, where she is developing her work at the Academy of Media Arts. USA: "Hiroshima Picture Gallery", part of "Countdown to '95" guest edited by Eric Gallager of Hood College and Adam Luther of the Center for Defense Information (note that the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was named 'Little Boy', the bomb depicted was dropped on Nagasaki).
The picture
Japan: "They speak of the A-bomb", part of "Hiroshima Sightseeing and Tours" of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, which is supported by the government of Japan and the government of the USA.
last changed 21.April 95