Nuclear Information Centre
Atmospheric Activities (2025). (MP4, Duration 6m 00s)
[NIC/NW/020]
For all its beguiling beauty and ruinous atmospherics it should not be forgotten that the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) on Orford Ness was specifically constructed to play a key role in the early development of UK’s nuclear weapons programme and overseas test detonations.
The text (and code) draws attention to the secrecy and dispassionate science behind the work carried out at Orford Ness and its intended purpose but there are partially engineered gaps between the slowly scrolling lines for the audience to contemplate and read into, should they wish to do so.
Perhaps one day AWE Aldermaston, AWE Burghfield and RNAD Coulport will all become similarly redundant, reclaimed and repurposed but not forgotten.
We live in hope.
A note on the text.
The text is formed from words that can be made from concatinations of chemical element symbols in a process I describe as elemental writing. As each element also has a corresponding atomic number, each word can also be presented as an equivalent number string. So, a secret code of sorts but one that is hidden in plain sight.
The two separate versions of this exhibit (text and numeric) could be screened independently or simultaneously, either side by side or in some other configuration, depending on screen size or available space. The background images and duration are identical in both.
https://vimeo.com/1112643440 and https://vimeo.com/1112643983
Information last updated: Sun 24 Aug 2025
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