The Atomic Sublime
What does an atomic blast sound like? We might think we know from familiar audiovisual recordings of atomic and nuclear tests, but rarely, if ever, are these soundtracks indexical recordings--the vast majority are synthetic or foley sound, created in post-production.
In “The Atomic Sublime,” Johanna Gosse and Kevin Hamilton pursue and archival exploration and excavation of these sonic phenomena. The purpose of their investigation is access the raw power of the atomic through a perceptual backdoor--the auditory--and in doing so, provisionally suspend the bomb’s spectacular visual appeal.
For a glimpse into methods and how Gosse and Hamilton approach the elusive and imaginary projections at the heart to the “atomic sublime,” see their initial collection and observations at:
https://scalar.usc.edu/works/seeing-crossroads/hearing-crossroads.
Style references include On Vanishing Land (Mark Fisher and Justin Barton), The Blind Tourist (Adriane Lilly/WFMU), and Chris Marker.
