LIFE IS NOT A TEST

Daniel Blau presents universally awe-inspiring photographs of nuclear explosions.

 

At 5:30 am on July 16th, 1945, the silence of the New Mexico desert was shattered by the blast of the first nuclear test, code-named ‘Trinity’. 

It irrevocably changed the world, ushering in the Atomic age. The light emitted by the explosion was sufficient to cause temporary blindness to an observer half a mile away. Daniel Blau’s focus at this year’s Paris 

Photo is directed towards photographs of American nuclear tests 

from the 1940s and 50s.

 

LIFE IS NOT A TEST  shows a unique selection of rare vintage prints of test explosions in the Pacific as well as the Nevada desert. These spectacular photographs reveal man’s most destructive forces at work and point to the fusion of art, history and technology caused by collisions of political and ideological differences. These photographs stand as a testimony to the history behind the study of the atom, which began centuries ago with philosophers investigating the structure of matter. It was the Greek philosopher Democritus (ca. 460-370 BC) who first formulated a hypothesis on the existence of atoms. The intersections 

between aesthetics, science and philosophy are dramatically 

demonstrated in these photographs of atomic explosions. 

 

Photograph - U.S. Navy - “A-bomb test, Bikini Atoll”, 1946. Silver gelatin print on glossy fibre paper, printed in 1946, 16 (20,5) x 22,2 (25,4) cm © U.S. Navy. Courtesy: Daniel Blau