Tag: art

by jad

Bride of Beirut

This is “Bride of Beirut,” a sculpture that sits “just 675 meters away from the epicenter of the August 4, 2020 Beirut port blast” and commemorates that tragic event with rubble and debris salvaged from the site. It was inspired by the designer’s harrowing experience of fearing for a loved one’s safety that day: “For 10 minutes we didn’t know what was happening because there was no cellular connection.” I hadn’t heard of this artwork when I stumbled on it on my last day in Beirut and found it arresting, though oddly arranged. Like something was missing. The installation had … Continue reading “Bride of Beirut” →

by jad

Christine’s Project: Mizyara

Today, I had the privilege of visiting a most unique shrine with the most touching story, a living tribute to not just one saint, but two—Maria Goretti and her unlikely acolyte, Raya Chidiac. It was an honor to be greeted by Raya’s mother, Marie, who has made it her ministry to share St. Goretti’s message of universal forgiveness through the heartbreak of losing her daughter Raya in a cruel parallel across centuries. And when she says “through” Raya, she means it quite literally: it was Raya who came to a stranger in a dream, asking for a shrine to be … Continue reading “Christine’s Project: Mizyara” →

by jad

Saints in the Mirror

This one killed it last night, and those aren’t even my words; it’s what so many who were there at her “Saints in the Mirror” exhibit have been telling me all day. I know how hard she’s been and still is working on this project, and I couldn’t be prouder. Two of the twelve pieces from @christine.bingham.art‘s “Saints in the Mirror” exhibit at Epiphany yesterday, depicting Sor Juana and Saint Rose of Lima. You should ask Christine about her collaborative process with our cat. I was so happy to see so many of you there to support Christine! It was … Continue reading “Saints in the Mirror” →

by jad

Nuclear Vancouver

We packed a lot into our very short time in Vancouver, but my favorite stop was the opportunity to visit and hang out with atomic photographer, filmmaker, and sole @uraniumfilm festival coordinator in Canada for the 2024 tour, Jesse Andrewartha, in his East Van home. Here we are in his darkroom. And here he is displaying the radioactive properties of his prized slice of polished uranium ore. Let me tell you: that crackling of the Geiger counter is an eerie basement sound! Jesse Andrewartha is a Canadian filmmaker, photographer, and visual effects artist specializing in historical & obscure darkroom techniques … Continue reading “Nuclear Vancouver” →

by jad

Nuclear History is in the Present Tense

In “By the Bomb’s Early Light,” Paul Boyer writes about the ebbs and flows of nuclear criticism as atomic dreams and radioactive nightmares danced across this nation’s psyche throughout the Cold War. He wrote his book during such a peak and prefaced his second edition with a question about the next peak to come, as the Cold War had been called off by then. In the intervening years, there have been blips of renewed interest, especially around the time of the radioactive catastrophe at Fukushima, but with rising geopolitical tensions and increased climate emergency, it seems like we’re re-entering another … Continue reading “Nuclear History is in the Present Tense” →

by jad

Nuclear Specters

It struck me as morbid irony to read about justifications in diplomatic circles of the current carnage in Gaza that apparently make reference to the atomic bomb. Apparently, these references have shocked the sensibilities of the American interlocuters who leaked those conversations. Apparently, they’d forgotten who unleashed this moral stain on the history of mankind in the first place. A shocking reference point and a mirror to blink back at. We are still living in the long shadow of WWII. These claims of self-preservation; this righteous indignation; these dying and dead — they are a legacy of that monstrous era. … Continue reading “Nuclear Specters” →

by jad

Christine at Side Rail Collective

So very proud of @christine.bingham.art for this piece that wowed everyone and generated so much conversation this weekend at @siderailcollective. Not only is it fascinating to look at, with its layer of resin and glass and scrap metal semi-obscuring a highly detailed underwater seascape — trust me, no photo can do this effect justice — but it also tells a complex story of growing up out here in Seattle. You should come talk to Christine about it at the Halloween party on the 28th. I’ll be there too and might take a photo of the back of your head. See … Continue reading “Christine at Side Rail Collective” →

by jad

Seattle’s Nuclear History: James Acord

“Art and science are parallel paths to truth and understanding.” This is a quote that a Seattle artist I just connected with shared with me. It’s something James Acord said and believed. It’s something I believe in as well. Acord’s faith in the “transmuting” power of art was relentless, giving him the stamina to pursue his life’s work for decades. This is how he became the only private individual in history with a radioactive materials handling license: WN-10407-1, a number he tattooed on the back of his neck. His pursuit cost him dearly, not unlike Will Navidson in Mark Z. … Continue reading “Seattle’s Nuclear History: James Acord” →

by jad

Seattle & Atomic Age Art

Today is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, a good day to share that I’ve been working with the International Uranium Film Festival (@uraniumfilm) to bring the festival to Seattle in April. There are a lot of moving parts, but it’s looking good so far! More soon. This partnership came my way in the midst of several months of reading and research on atomic history and nuclear culture, which is also how I found myself at the UW Special Collections Library yesterday looking at Box 13 of the Fred Moody papers. I read Moody’s “Seattle and … Continue reading “Seattle & Atomic Age Art” →

by jad

Christine’s Project: Tacoma Rose Garden

Behind the scenes (and rose bushes) shot of Sabrina talking to Christine about Saint Rose of Lima, as part of our ongoing photo-documentation project. See also. I think I caught this decisive moment mid-TikTok. It was a lot of fun being back at the same spot I got my nerve up to try “street” photography for the first time last summer, using up a whole roll of film walking around Tacoma taking candid shots with my heart thumping in my throat. I was nervous about wasting film and pissing people off, but now, both considerations are a lot less intimidating, … Continue reading “Christine’s Project: Tacoma Rose Garden” →