The International Shadows Project is a memorial to those who died in the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and a protest against any other use of nuclear weapons. Many shows, performances, demonstrations, and actions bring in problems related to the manufacture and use of nuclear weapons. The name comes from the faint traces of vaporized victims left on nearby surfaces such as walls and the steps of a building.

As the ultimate art form of the Cold War, it seems appropriate that some of the largest and most important Mail Art shows were part of the Cold War tool, emblem, and driving force. I curated and co-curated a number of them and participated in many others.

This section links to the documentation of several of the shows I curated or took part in setting up. I'm not going to write extensively about the Project in this issue of Big Bridge for several reasons. One important complex of reasons is that I want to do so in another installment where I will also be able to discuss publications by and projects with Japanese poets. A strictly American response to Hiroshima, or even an international response that does not include Japanese participants and their culture is irrelevant. The documentation of the shows and activities which may be accessed from this site were collective productions, as they should have been.

Shadows Projects lost their efficacy after the mid 1990s to a large extent because many people thought that the nuclear threat was over. In the early days of 2007, with nuclear proliferation poised to make giant leaps forward, Shadows Projects may become more important once again. Whatever your thoughts are on nuclear war, the Shadows Project included some of the most important and interesting Mail Art shows for several decades.

Click here to go to a survey (with extensive samples) of International Shadows Projects from 1988 to 1996.

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