Artist statement for
Conversations Before Midnight 2024
Lovely Umayam, a Bulletin contributor, the founder of Bombshelltoe, and a nuclear nonproliferation expert, created the artwork below for Conversations Before Midnight, the Bulletin’s annual signature fundraising event. What follows is a statement explaining the inspiration behind her artwork.
![2024 Conversations Before Midnight Artwork by Lovely Umayam 2024 Conversations Before Midnight Artwork by Lovely Umayam](https://thebulletin.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Aug-1-FINAL-BAS-CBM-MLU-2024-V.3UPDATED.png)
As a nuclear policy researcher, I have had the opportunity to publish in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on a diverse range of topics, from blockchain to nuclear culture. And as I progressed in my career, the Bulletin has been a trusted companion, offering a variety of research, debates, and opinions that have complicated and expanded my understanding of how science and technology threaten and protect the world. The Bulletin has built a collective that embraces nuance and change — essential characteristics in order to effectively confront cross-cutting issues today.
I am honored to create this artwork to express what this publication means to me as a contributor and reader. The Bulletin is a trove of knowledge — a layering of stories, historical accounts, and scientific data over decades — all towards harnessing technology for the common good. The Bulletin archive was my main source of inspiration; using articles and covers featuring topics like climate change, nuclear risk, biosecurity, and disruptive technologies, I created a landscape mosaic that evokes the interweaving of art, words, and ideas. Working with these materials was not just an aesthetic exercise; exploring the Bulletin vault also allowed me to appreciate what has changed overtime: the ways in which the world had to adapt due to growing threats, but also the lessons we learned and the wins we achieved along the way. While the aforementioned issues seem intimidating to tackle in isolation, the Bulletin’s expert voices have made significant strides in addressing them as a community. This piece is a token of gratitude for that work.
![Lovely Umayam Lovely Umayam](https://thebulletin.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/UmayamPhoto-281x300-circle-4079381c3bdb1b1cc31e0c7861d04542-cnbhalgk7zqx.jpg.optimal.jpg)
— Lovely Umayam
Founder of Bombshelltoe Policy x Arts, non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center, and consultant to the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs
Join us for Conversations Before Midnight
On November 12th, join us for dinner and cocktails at the University Club of Chicago to hear from keynote speaker David Ignatius, Rieser Award winner Emily Strasser, and outgoing Bulletin President and CEO Rachel Bronson.