Research Guides: Oppenheimer: culture

culture

Contested Remembrance: The Hiroshima Exhibit Controversy "America was clearly far from being ready to commemorate Hiroshima in 1995." Zolberg, V. L. (1998). Contested Remembrance: The Hiroshima Exhibit Controversy. Theory and Society, 27(4), 565–590. http://www.jstor.org/stable/657840
Controversy over the Enola Gay Exhibition - Nuclear Museum For the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) proposed an exhibition that would include displaying the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that was used to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. A fiery controversy ensued that demonstrated the competing historical narratives regarding the decision to drop the bomb.
Doctor Atomic at the Metropolitan Opera John Adams’s mesmerizing score, in the powerful production of Penny Woolcock, tells the story of one of the pivotal moments in human history—the creation of the atomic bomb. Conducted by Alan Gilbert in his Met debut, this gripping opera presents the human face of the scientists, military men, and others who were involved in the project, as they wrestled with the implications of their work. Baritone Gerald Finley gives a powerful star turn in the title role as the brilliant J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Each Day Begins with the Sun Rising: Four Artists from Hiroshima The exhibition Each Day Begins with the Sun Rising: Four Artists from Hiroshima features contemporary Japanese artists Megumi Fukuda, Taro Furukata, Genki Isayama, and Kana Kou. Together, they explore the profound cultural, political, and social impacts of the United States’ World War II bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The social and political ramifications of the bombings have permeated nearly every sector of Japanese society, particularly the Seto Inland Sea region, which is dealing with ongoing fallout from nuclear energy policies and environmental degradation. The artists in Each Day Begins with the Sun Rising use social activism, historical research, performance, site-specific installation, drawing, painting, and video to address politics and resilience in the region. FEBRUARY 12, 2022 – JUNE 25, 2022 BENTON MUSEUM OF ART AT POMONA COLLEGE 120 W BONITA AVE CLAREMONT, CA
Hiroshima Aug. 23, 1946 New Yorker by John Hersey A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb. Survivors wonder why they lived when so many others died.
Interview “Hiroshima Projection” Krzysztof Wodiczko Krzysztof Wodiczko discusses his 1999 project, Hiroshima Projection, which involved projecting the hands of atomic bomb survivors onto the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, one of the few structures still standing after the blast. ART21: Why did you decide to do a project in Hiroshima? WODICZKO: I received the Hiroshima Art Prize.
History of the atomic bomb dome The atomic bomb dome, the world cultural heritage site, which many people from Japan and the world visit, was a show space to expand sales channels for products of Hiroshima as the name of the Industrial Promotion Hall. From Hiroshima for Global Peace.
"A Matter of Life and Death": Kawabata on the Value of Art after the Atomic Bombings This article explores the possible interpretations—and the implications of those interpretations—of a comment about the importance of art made by Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972), later the first Japanese Nobel laureate for literature: that "looking at old works of art is a matter of life and death." (In 1949, Kawabata visited Hiroshima in his capacity as president of the Japan literary society P.E.N. to inspect the damage caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that helped end World War II. On his way back to his home in Kamakura, he stopped in Kyoto. He came under severe criticism for "sightseeing" at such a time. This comment was his response.) The introduction explains why we should take him seriously as a commentator on art. The body of the article examines why our looking at art might be more, not less, important after the post-War situation, the kinds of art Kawabata might have meant, why some possibilities are more likely than others, and how they differ in what they offer us and the value of art under conditions of trauma and mass trauma.
The Most Fearsome Sight: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima On the morning of August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. - National WWII Museum August 6, 2020
Oppenheimer: Vacated but not Vindicated - One of the sleeper news items of last week was that the Department of Energy officially vacated the Atomic Energy Commission decision that stripped J. Robert Oppenheimer of his security clearance in 1954. It did come as a surprise to me. I knew that there was a campaign to overturn Oppenheimer’s clearance loss — I had been asked to give representatives from the American Institute of Physics a background talk about it, in order to help them determine whether to take a stance on it — and also knew that there had been previous, unsuccessful efforts in this respect. - from Restricted Data - the nuclear secrecy blog. By Alex Wellerstein, published December 21st, 2022
Pop psychosis: the influence of the bomb on superflat art In the past several decades, Japanese popular culture has become inundated with a “cute” or kawaii aesthetic that is unique to the country. This imagery is present in media, advertising, and merchandise, and its appeal has expanded to overseas markets—the worldwide popularity of Hello Kitty being one of the best examples of this phenomenon. But when the bright colors, cartoon characters and whimsical subject matter began appearing in high art, it prompted a discussion as to why cuteness had developed such appeal and become so omnipresent. Japanese artists of the Superflat movement use the language of this pop culture iconography to explore what kawaii says about the Japanese people and their history. Takashi Murakami, founding member of the Superflat movement and author of its manifesto, views the development of kawaii as Japan’s response to World War II and the atomic bomb. Contemporary Japan. By rdinitto@uoregon.edu on April 19, 2010
Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Abe of Japan at Hiroshima Peace Memorial PRESIDENT OBAMA: Seventy-one years ago, on a bright, cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed. A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself. The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release. May 27, 2016. Hiroshima, Japan
Revisiting the Hiroshima Panels 75 years later Readers interested in contemporary Japanese art may have seen works by Yanagi Yukinori or Murakami Takashi who treat the motif of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in their works. Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture (2005) curated by Murakami, used the codename given to the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. on the morning of August 6, 1945, killing more than 140,000 people. International Examiner. By Rebecca Jennison -August 20, 2020

Watchmen by Alan Moore; Dave Gibbons (Illustrator) A hit HBO original series, Watchmen the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history, the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect. Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, the Hugo Award-winning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as an unknown assassin stalks the erstwhile heroes. This edition of Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from Alan Moore, the award-winning writer of V For Vendetta and Batman: The Killing Joke, and features art from industry legend Dave Gibbons, with high-quality, recolored pages found in Watchmen: Abslolute Edtion as well as, never-before-seen extra bonus materials and an introduction by Dave Gibbons.
ISBN: 9781401219260
Publication Date: 2008
Barefoot Gen - A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima by Keiji Nakazawa; Project (Translator) The reissue of this classic manga's first volume has impeccable timing. It recounts the bombing of Hiroshima from the perspective of a young boy, Gen, and his family. But the book's themes (the physical and psychological damage ordinary people suffer from war's realities) ring chillingly true today. Despite its harrowing nature, this work is invaluable for the lessons it offers in history, humanity and compassion. Published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.
ISBN: 9780867196023
Publication Date: 2004
Hiroshima by Nakazawa Keiji; Richard H. Minear (Translator) This compelling autobiography tells the life story of famed manga artist Nakazawa Keiji. Born in Hiroshima in 1939, Nakazawa was six years old when on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bomb. His gritty and stunning account of the horrific aftermath is powerfully told through the eyes of a child who lost most of his family and neighbors. In eminently readable and beautifully translated prose, the narrative continues through the brutally difficult years immediately after the war, his art apprenticeship in Tokyo, his pioneering "atomic-bomb" manga, and the creation of Barefoot Gen, the classic graphic novel based on Nakazawa's experiences before, during, and after the bomb. This first English-language translation of Nakazawa's autobiography includes twenty pages of excerpts from Barefoot Gen to give readers who don't know the manga a taste of its power and scope. A recent interview with the author brings his life up to the present. His trenchant hostility to Japanese imperialism, the emperor and the emperor system, and U.S. policy adds important nuance to the debate over Hiroshima. Despite the grimness of his early life, Nakazawa never succumbs to pessimism or defeatism. His trademark optimism and activism shine through in this inspirational work.
ISBN: 9781442207479
Publication Date: 2010

movies

WARGAMES (1983) | "Shall We Play A Game?" Scene | MGM. 3:58

Godzilla (1954) Ishiro Honda 1:36

GODZILLA (a.k.a. Gojira) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels. (Criterion Collection)

Dr. Strangelove, or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb by Stanley Kubrick(Screenwriter)(Producer)(Director) Terry Southern( Screenwriter) In this dark comedy, chaos erupts when a general orders an attack on the Russians, which subsequently will trigger the Russian "Doomsday Device." The President and his aides struggle to find a way to stop the impending doom.
ISBN: 9781404946163
Publication Date: 1964
Fail-safe by Sidney Lumet A computer malfunction causes nuclear-equipped American bombers to destroy Moscow and the president of the United States has to take terrible measures to appease the Soviets and prevent all-out nuclear war.
ISBN: 9780767854993
Publication Date: 1964
Planet of the Apes by Charlton Heston (Actor), Roddy McDowall (Actor) Astronaut Taylor (Heston) crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist (McDowall)."
ISBN: 1302950738
Publication Date: 1968