Kate Shannon's Statement

Captain William Sterling Parsons
looping digital projection, dimensions variable, 2013    

Inspired by a recent trip to the Nuclear Science Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I have been exploring photographic and video footage from World War II, particularly in relation to nuclear weapons. I recently discovered short, filmed interviews with the flight crew of the Enola Gay taken shortly after the plane dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima. These interviews juxtapose the colossal event with intimate, small-scale views of individuals who were responsible for physically dropping the bomb.   This figure is Captain William Sterling Parsons, the weaponeer on the Enola Gay.  In this piece, I have isolated Captain Parsons from his background and caused him to silently stare back at the viewer in an endless loop.