in alamogordo, new mexico, on july 16, 1945

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• published: 25 Oct 2006
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we waited until the blast had passed, walked out of the shelter and then it was extremely solemn... if the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the mighty one... the optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds and the pessimist knows it. -j. robert oppenheimer we were lying there, very tense, in the early dawn, and there were just a few streaks of gold in the east; you could see your neighbor very dimly. those ten seconds were the longest ten seconds that i ever experienced. suddenly, there was an enormous flash of light, the brightest light i have ever seen or that i think anyone has ever seen. it blasted; it pounced; it bored its way right through you. it was a vision which was seen with more than the eye. it was seen to last forever. you would wish it to stop; altogether it lasted about two seconds. finally it was over, diminishing, and we looked toward the place where the bomb had been; there was an enormous ball of fire which grew and grew and it rolled as it grew; it went up into the air, in yellow flashes and into scarlet and green. it looked menacing. it seemed to come toward one. a new thing had just been born... -isidor rabi at the instant of the explosion i was looking directly at it, with no eye protection of any kind... the grandeur and magnitude of the phenomenon were completely breath-taking. -robert serber we wore welder's glasses. the thing that got me was not the flash but the blinding heat of a bright day on your face in the cold desert morning. it was like opening a hot oven with the sun coming out like a sunrise. -philip morrison jezt komme, feuer! -friedrich hölderlin il y a là cendre -jacques derrida asche, asche, 　asche. nacht. nacht　-　und　-　nacht. -paul celan tu n'as rien vu à hiroshima. rien. j'ai tout vu. tout... -marguerite duras for the gaze of music that leaves it behind, it is rounded to a spherethat can be overviewd, as in the meantime it has already been photographed from space, not the center of creation but something minute and ephemeral. to such experience is allied the melancholy hope for other stars, inhabited by happier beings than humans. but the earth that has grown remote to itself is without the hope the stars once promised. it is sinking into empty galaxies. on it lies beauty as the refrection of past hope, which fills the dying eye until it is frozen below the flakes of unbound space the moment of delight before such beauty dares to withstand its abandonment to disenchanted nature. that metaphysics is no longer possible becomes the ultimate metaphysics. -theodor. w. adorno hasel and gretel are 　alive and 　well and　they're living in berlin she　is　 a　 cocktail 　waitress he had a part in 　a 　fassbinder film and 　they　 sit　 around　 at　 night now drinking　　 　 　 schnapps　　　and 　 　gin and she says　:　hansel, 　　　　　　　　　　you're really　bringing me down and he says 　 :　gretel, 　　　　　　　　　　you 　can 　really 　be 　a bitch 　 　he says　:　i've 　 wasted　 my　　 life 　　　　　　　　　　on our stupid 　　　　　 　　　legend 　　　　　　　　　　when my　　　　 　 　　　　　　one 　　　　　　　　　　and　　　　　　　　　only　　　love 　　　　　　　　　　was the wicked　　　　　　witch. 　 she said　: 　what is 　history　? and he said　: history is an angel 　　　　　　　being blown backwards 　　　　　　　into　the 　　　　　　　future 　　he said　: history is a 　 pile　　of 　　　debris 　　　　　　　　　　 and 　 the 　 angel　　 wants　to 　　　go back and fix things　to repair　the things that　have 　been 　broken but there is a storm blowing from paradaise and　 the storm keeps blowing 　the　angel backwards　into　　　　 the　　　　 future． and this storm, this 　　storm is 　　called progress -laurie anderson (for walter benjamin) staring at a burning fire isn't salvation sympathy for the devil isn't salvation lucid ambiguity isn't salvation bla bla bla bla bla bla isn't saltation discovering there is no salvation is salvation -bernardo bertolucci taken from "the atomic age" video collection. oppenheimer's aria :: ryuichi sakamoto / reference : olivier messiaen / visual : shiro takatani (dumb type) http://www.sitesakamoto.com/oppenheimer_single.swf