dirty bombs by ben hausman

Performed by Matchstick Percussion

Directed & Edited by Joshua Mallard

Audio-Visual Technician Han Hitchen

I grew up in a military family, constantly surrounded by the history of the wars our county has been a part of. As I grew with age I found myself fascinated, but terrified by the destructive world of nuclear power and our continuous temptation of fate.

I wrote dirty bombs in the early months of 2021, stuck inside from the bitter cold and the raging pandemic at the time. I was frustrated and worried with the situation at hand, and found my ability to express these thoughts through this piece.

dirty bombs has text throughout it, inspired by different moments in nuclear history. The piece opens with audio from news reports from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, a memorable source of anxiety through my upbringing. Later in the piece is text about what is often referred to as the “Devil Core Incident”, a failed experiment that led to fatal results in 1946. Finally, I reached out to many of my peers to share their thoughts and experiences about nuclear anxiety and how it has affected them.

I would like to give special thanks to: Drew Barnes, Kelley Louder, Douglas Nesler, Brice Sanborn, Lillian Sullivan, and McKenzie Squires, for each lending me their voice in this piece.

This would not have been possible without you all.

I hope you enjoy dirty bombs

benhausman.com