Along with promotional photos for Epicenter City, John Massier also wanted a statement. This is what I sent:
The Associated Artists for Propaganda Research is proud to present “Epicenter City”, a large-scale installation at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo NY.
War has created a new and powerful industry of destruction whose aim is to capitalize on the selling of weapons of mass destruction while simultaneously attempting to propagate the necessity for war, curbing every possibility for peace in order to maintain a warmongers status quo. With this unnecessary proliferation of nuclear arms and the ceaseless quest for more destructive and efficient armaments, it has become clear that the fate of the worlds’ population has become increasingly uncertain and volatile.
“Epicenter City” predicts the most horrific possibility of these uncertainties, presenting the eventual decimation of a large and heavily populated metropolis.
”Epicenter City” features a 25’x8’ floor model made of wood and cardboard. Painted uniformly with a shade of neutral gray, the city will consist of approximately 400 city blocks as well as several outskirt features including an industrial park, suburban housing developments and even an airport. The city will also host 10 feet of waterfront development as well as many recreational parks.
This was a later incarnation of the same statement. The airport was built but never used and the city blocks increased from 400 blocks to 800. This statement also explains the other pieces used in the exhibition.
”Epicenter City” is a 25’x8’ floor model made of wood and cardboard. Painted uniformly with a shade of neutral gray, the city consists of approximately 800 city blocks made of over 10,000 pieces of wood. It has several features including a museum, an industrial park, several suburban housing developments, outdoor sculpture and many recreational parks and forests. The sculpture depicts an unknown and imagined city, destroyed by an atomic bomb. The painting in the background shows 3 men holding the first atomic suitcase bomb and was painted with 6,912 one inch squares. The installation also includes 2 paintings (Blue Skies Again and These Dreams Never End), 1 drawing, 1 model of a water tower and 3 paintings of public structures from “Epicenter City”.
Brian Higbee 