A Japanese koa-ishin katana sword is embedded in a churn of simulated nuclear energy. Cauldron forms part
of a body of work entitled The End and the Beginning of Everything, which explores the symbolic, material,
and ethical implications surrounding recent advances in astrophysics. The video was created by the artist in
collaboration with Jason Fletcher at Boston's Charles Hayden Planetarium and the FLASH Center at the University of Chicago's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Iron for swords, like iron in blood, was originally manufactured and distributed by a supernova event along with approximately 80% of the elements on the periodic table. The thermonuclear supernova simulations in Secret Arts are made possible by supercomputing that is funded in part by the US Department of Defense, since the same calculations contribute to simulated nuclear weapons tests. Due in large part to such simulations, the US has not performed a live nuclear test since 1995. To date, Japan remains the only culture to have suffered nuclear weapons attacks.
Iron for swords, like iron in blood, was originally manufactured and distributed by a supernova event along with approximately 80% of the elements on the periodic table. The thermonuclear supernova simulations in Secret Arts are made possible by supercomputing that is funded in part by the US Department of Defense, since the same calculations contribute to simulated nuclear weapons tests. Due in large part to such simulations, the US has not performed a live nuclear test since 1995. To date, Japan remains the only culture to have suffered nuclear weapons attacks.
