User talk:Evanmayer1

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Please remember to sign your messages on talk pages by typing four tildes ( ~ ); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Questions, ask me on my talk page, or, and a volunteer should respond shortly. Again, welcome! Blythwood (talk) 01:56, 23 April 2017 (UTC)

Hey cap'n, good luck on your project! Philibenl (talk) 19:31, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Notes on Edits to Nuclear Energy (sculpture)
Moved notes here to make my version of the page in my sandbox easier to read.

Small changes
The first thing that jumps out is the "divergent measurements exist; see text" under the dimensions property. It would be fairly easy for me to confirm the dimensions, but it's more likely that the differences arise from considering the black granite base or not in the measurement.

The main photo could use an update; I'll have to look into photographing public works of art for free use. Freedom of panorama? There are also good photos of the process leading up to installation in the University's Photographic Archives.

Other pages on sculptures are broken up into something like

Summary Design/Attributes/Construction/MaintenanceHistory <-- already some great info here Reception/Themes <-- this is my focus See also This page just has one big History section. I'd like to break it up so it's easier to read.

The Significance of the Monument
It's interesting that there is a Moore quotation on the page, but it doesn't add much of significance to the article. Some of the sources could be updated, and more of Moore's motivation or involvement could be added. This is an important marker of scientific progress, and it has special iconic value. Nearly every tour of campus passes this sculpture, and most tour guides make a vague reference to its resemblance to a skull and/or mushroom cloud, and it seems fitting. However, this suggestive anecdote has never been convincing, and I believe having proof of the artist's intent or thoughts would add more context to an already context-rich (in fact, loaded) work.

With a such a work, care must be taken to avoid value judgments about the results of the science which ushered in the nuclear age. It would be good to summarize the feelings it was met with at the time, and compare them with the artist's intent.

Connection to History of Science
This installation (and the collection of historic markers accompanying it) help us grapple with the fruits of scientific discovery. Is the work a trophy? Is it a warning? It is a tangible reminder of the science that happened at this location. It is a source; the slab in front of the sculpture has various plaques with information commemorating the event.

Secondary sources on the sculpture help us figure out how people view(ed) it in the context of the science. The sculpture has a give-and-take relationship with the event; they inform one another across time for the viewer. The location where the science was done gives context to the sculpture. A viewer of the sculpture may be influenced by it to see the science in a different way based on their interpretation of the form. It is Moore's lens on the scientific event, but the reception of the event is still left to the viewer.