A blast from the past -- "1153"

This is the first piece that I ever submitted to the National Collage Society annual juried show. It was before I started this blog and I don't believe I ever posted an image of it. It was destroyed in the shipping process (by FEDEX!!!). Here is the "artist's statement" that went with the piece...

“1153”

by

Steven Specht

     This piece is inspired by the “Doomsday Clock”, created in 1947 by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in symbolic recognition of the international accumulation of atomic weaponry and the state of geopolitical equilibrium across the globe (see:www. thebulletin.org/doomsday_clock/timeline.htm). In 2002, the clock was moved from 9 minutes until midnight to 7 minutes until midnight (i.e., 11:53). According to the atomic scientists, this change was prompted by the following: “The United States rejects a series of arms control treaties and announces it will withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Terrorists seek to acquire and use nuclear and biological weapons.” It is interesting to note that in 1991, the clock was designated to be at 17 minutes before midnight. The middle panel of this piece suggests the interactions between religious and scientific/techno-logical forces which contribute to global tensions and which may actually have a common ancestry as alluded to with the iconic fish and mortality (i.e., skull) imagery.

nota bene: the sound of static may be added to enhance the impact of this piece by adjusting the volume using the small black knob at the right-hand side of the digital clock mechanism.