The Japanese word Hibaku translates as ‘something that has experienced a nuclear bomb.’ This sculpture/papercutting is a representation of a weeping willow that survived and re-grew after the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. The tree itself stands 370 meters away from what is known to be the hypocentre of the blast. After the complete devastation the bomb left there was much speculation if the city could regenerate.
One Manhattan Project scientist told the Washington Post the land “will be barren of life and nothing will grow for 75 years.” But the very next spring various species of trees budded. The indomitable vitality of the trees offered a much needed symbol of hope to the citizens of Hiroshima. Seeing this new life they took courage and realized that they too had the ability to rebuild, recover and regenerate.
All components of this piece have been locally sourced & reclaimed, breathing new life in to the redundancy of these objects.
Written by Suzanne Breakwell
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