This exhibition is no longer on display at the William H. Hannon Library – this post is maintained for historical purposes.
Today’s post is written by library student ambassador, Sol Lewites. Sol spent some time exploring the exhibition you can currently find occupying levels 1-2 of the library, “Everything You Treasure: For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons.” The exhibition is sponsored by LMU’s student chapter of Soka Gakkai International.
A devastatingly compelling image of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki draws you right into the heartbreaking yet eye-opening journey that is “Everything you treasure.” The stunning facts concerning these brutal bombings back in 1945 immediately trouble the reader and make you want to know more. Rather than diving into a series of contingency plans (so that situations like these never happen again), this innovating exhibition challenges you to think of what YOU treasure, and what you would do to protect those you love.
The desire to protect our loved ones is said to have fueled the “development of war-fighting technologies.” The smooth transitions of each panel—from the humanitarian aspects of nuclear armament to the scientific, spiritual, and generational perspectives—only serve to prove that nuclear weapons threaten the livelihood of us all, and that this cycle of violence must be stopped. From a scholarly standpoint, the most enthralling feature of this exhibition was its use of visual rhetoric in order to persuade the reader: just the right amount of emotional appeal was projected through pictures of children playing to pictures of villages completely destroyed by nuclear weapons.
This exhibition shows concern for all populations, highlighting the fact that nuclear weapons are a threat to all of humanity, not just those against whom they are applied. The use of meaningful quotations by powerful religious figures incentivizes and appeals to all audiences, regardless of religious preferences… which I value a lot as a student at Loyola Marymount University because the liberty to think freely and formulate my own opinions is placed in high regard at this university. The logical appeals made by the exhibition were quite interesting as well: by quoting the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the political and human rights perspectives are explored simultaneously, encouraging the audience to think critically about society’s conscientious decision to overlook the inconsistencies in nuclear weapon policies.
I would most definitely encourage viewers of all ages and backgrounds to take a moment out of their day and examine the 12 different perspectives presented to you by this exhibition. “Everything You Treasure: For a World Free from Nuclear Weapons” is a heart-rending, highly insightful exhibition, erudite in its way of informing.
Thank you, Sol, for sharing your thoughts with us! “Everything You Treasure” will be on display in levels 1-2 of the William H. Hannon Library through February 23, 2018.
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