Everything Is In the Hands of God
Pigment ink prints on archival paper
24x36" each
Edition of 3 plus artist proof
Exhibited at:
“post_space” solo exhibition, Conant Gallery, Groton, MA.
"Everything is in the hands of God."
- Bikinian Leader Jude to U.S. Commodore Ben Wyatt, 1946
In the summer of 1946 a number of decommissioned US ships sat in the water of the Bikini Atol. As part of “Operation Crossroads,” the ships were placed there for the purpose of researching the effects of nuclear weapons on naval vessels. One of these ships, the USS Saratoga, survived its first test -- an air burst explosion on July 1, 1946 -- with minor damage. A second test -- an undersea blast -- sunk the ship on July 25, 1946. The radioactive contamination of the ships in “Operation Crossroads” was severe, hampering underwater research or salvage for years.
In the summer of 2008 a roll of film claimed from the sunken wreckage of the USS Saratoga by a recreational diver was listed on eBay. The roll, 116mm film from what is assumed to be a Kodak Brownie camera, was ruined beyond processing -- with the exception of six images. These images show ships, water, and abstract frames of light. It is believed that an unknown stowaway boarded the USS Saratoga on or before July 25, 1946. The six images are the collected fragments of his last hours.