Amnesia Atómica NYC, an exposition and call to reduce the dangers of nuclear weapons, opens on Times Square in mid-May.

Presented by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Times Square Arts, Amnesia Atómica NYC brings artist Pedro Reyes’ inflatable mushroom cloud sculpture, ZERO NUKES, to Times Square May 17-24, 2022.

ZERO NUKES will serve as the centerpiece for Amnesia Atómica NYC which includes a series of public programs and events designed to spotlight the work of activists, artists, scientists, and organizations involved in non-proliferation and disarmament.

Amnesia Atómica is curated by Pedro Alonzo, who specializes in ambitious artworks in public spaces. Inspiration for Amnesia Atómica was sparked at an incubator created by N Square, a network of innovators committed to ending the nuclear threat.

A two-day Mobilization Expo, organized by the Bulletin, will be held from 12-8 pm on Thursday and Friday, May 19 & 20. The expo will showcase artists, organizers and well-established organizations offering hands-on activities, VR experiences, information booths and merchandise to engage the hundreds of thousands passing through Times Square each week.

The invasion of Ukraine has put nuclear weapons back in the headlines, making this event timelier than ever.

Each day you can also experience performances created by The Tank, a small, Manhattan-based non-profit arts presenter and producer serving emerging artists.

Games for Change will showcase “On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World)”, a virtual reality experience that uses innovative documentary storytelling and virtual production techniques to viscerally recreate the lived experiences of people of Hawaii, who, for 38 minutes, had to react during a false alert in January 2018. Learn more about the project here. Screenings of the virtual reality experience will be taking place on May 19 & 20, steps away from Times Square at 1560 Broadway, Suite 901 (Enter at 165 W. 46th Street, due to construction). Book your time here. An exhibit will be on display May 17-24.

PATH Collective will offer a bespoke digital art piece as a free, collectible NFT, available to those who attend the Mobilization Expo, to highlight the role blockchain can play in advancing nuclear disarmament.

The timing aligns with New York’s Frieze Art Fair, a leading art fair that attracts artists and media worldwide. Pedro Reyes will also participate at Frieze with his related piece, titled Stockpile—an interactive exhibit which will allow the public to symbolically dismantle the nuclear stockpile.

Recognizing that the most direct consequences of nuclear weapons are experienced under the nuclear mushroom cloud, the Bulletin is using that location to curate a series of activities, interactives, and education opportunities to to reduce the risk and minimize the danger of these weapons.

Click here for more information about the press event on Tuesday, May 17, which will feature remarks from Times Square Arts leadership, artists Pedro Reyes, second-generation Hiroshima survivor Mitchie Takeuchi, and Beatrice Fihn, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of ICAN.