Jeff Key—August 2019

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!                                         @realDonaldTrump  Jan 2018

Two things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity……and I’m not so sure about the universe.                                                                                   —Albert Einstein

So far humans have not been able to harness atomic power safely and the question remains—can the atom save or doom us as a civilization?

a hiss from its core—seeking a purpose in life—we fall in its wake

      From Unhinged, A Haiku Tsunami by Jeff Key

The race is on as scientists contemplate how to harness the power of the atom. Do we fuse the atom to create clean power, or do we split the atom to induce a nuclear reaction that could destroy the planet?

Nuclear Facts:

•On August 2, 2019 the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Agreement, citing long-running Russian violations.

• On August 8, 2019 an explosion occurred at a naval weapons site near the Arctic Circle in Russia during the test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Five scientists died and radiation levels near the site rose 200 times normal.

• In southern France, ITER (“The Way” in Latin), 35 nations are collaborating to build a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our Sun. (source: www.iter.org)

• The United States was the first country to develop nuclear weapons, detonating the first fission devices in 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagaski, Japan.

• As of 2018, the United States had an estimated 6,500 nuclear warheads, including retired (awaiting dismantlement), stored, and deployed weapons.

• The Soviet Union first developed nuclear capabilities in 1949. Russia’s modern-day arsenal includes an estimated 7,000 warheads.

•The following countries also possess nuclear weapons:

France (~300 warheads), China (~260), the United Kingdom (~215), Pakistan (~130), and India (~120) also have nuclear weapons. Israel has not officially acknowledged its nuclear capabilities. Estimates of its arsenal have typically been around 80 warheads, although some estimates are significantly larger.

North Korea’s capabilities are largely unknown. It’s suspected it may have a limited arsenal of 5-10 weapons, but may have material to build twice that many.

                                                                       (Source: Union of Concerned Scientists July, 2018)

Jeff Key's work (Vessel #40—Fusion) can be seen at:
GearBox Gallery, 770 W Grand Ave., Suite B, Oakland, CA 94612

"Art + Movement" opens August 15, 2019  

(with a reception August 17—2-4 pm.)

•The exhibition closes on Sept. 7