Doomsday

While Americans watched the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the atomic bomb, they realized that the “weapon to end all wars” could just as easily end the world as they knew it. The United States became a campaign of misinformation to soothe the anxieties of its people.

I will research the U.S. government’s official safety procedure for a nuclear attack at the height of the Cold War, focusing mainly on bomb shelters. I will visit several bomb shelters around New York City to get images of the spaces, as well as create a map marking the distance between shelters in a particular neighborhood.

I want to do a documentary exploring the various ways Americans prepared themselves in the event of an atomic bomb attack. I will interview three Americans who lived during the height of the cold war era. One will be someone who was in elementary school, someone who was in high school, and someone who was an adult. These interviews will provide insight into the mindset of American society at the time. Did they think hiding under a desk would save their life? Did they think that a basement would provide adequate protection from a nuclear blast?

Finally, I will research the U.S. government’s current safety procedure for a nuclear attack. I will follow this up with several interviews about what Americans today would do if they knew America were soon to be hit with an atomic bomb.

This project will be a multimedia project, integrating photographs, video interviews, and stock footage of public service announcements.