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Terrifying and beautiful at the same time, the 100 color and black and white photographs of blasts featured in Michael Light: 100 SUNS document the destructive force unleashed during nuclear tests conducted by the United States following World War II. Light, a San Francisco-based photographer, has achieved international attention for his large-scale photographic projects examining humanity’s relationship with its environment.
For
100 SUNS, Light used digital software to scan or re-photograph rare
images he hand-picked from the archives of the U. S. National Archives
and Los Alamos National Laboratory. In many cases he was able to use
digital software to restore something of the original intensity of
color prints faded by time. The haunting images Light has assembled
depict tests at or shortly after the moment of explosion. In some
shocking pictures, human beings share the frame with the fireworks. In
one image, troops huddle in trenches as they are showered by sparks
from the detonation of a 1953 Nevada blast referred to as “Simon.”
Light’s commentary adds a chilling note describing the next few moments
when the "ground and air shockwaves will toss them like dolls, then
fill their mouths with radioactive dust." These found photographs,
along with text and photographic imagery shot by Light, raise
compelling questions about the lasting consequences of nuclear testing
and the threat posed by “weapons of mass destruction” in the hands of
any nation.
General Information:
Dates: January 18, 2008 - June 1, 2008
Target Audience: General Audience
Fee: Adults $5 (Free admission Tuesdays); Under 18 Free
Time: Tues-Thurs 10-5 pm; Fri 10-8 pm; Sat 10-5 pm; Sun 1-5 pm
Venue Details:
Knoxville Museum of Art
1050 World's Fair Park
Knoxville, Tennessee 37916-1653
Contact Phone: 865.525.6101
