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(Archive) B61-12 : Nuclear bomb

Cuddly toys of mass destruction

This project was part of DDW 2023
B61-12 Nuclear Bomb — © Kornelia Dimitrova

Twenty B61-12 nuclear weapons are stored in the Dutch village of Volkel. The most famous state secret of the Netherlands. Even though they are officially located on American territory, it makes the Netherlands part of the geopolitical arms race.

Soft Weapon Industry

It is a fascinating contradiction that we have to engineer fear to feel safe. While I investigate this theme in conversation with experts in the field of weapons and by finding out the hard facts, I am working on a 1:1 soft replica of one of this nuclear bombs. You will find the real data on the label of this 3.5 meter large cuddly toy. I also wonder if I feel safer with or without these bombs so close by. And in conversations with experts, I discovered that the reason they are located in the Netherlands is more than just storage space but part of a bigger geopolitic system. I find out the costs to purchase and maintain a nuclear weapon. These costs are in the billions, and that for something that we as a society do not even want to use. Many questions, few answers. Let's talk about it.