Black Hole Museum: A New Idea for the Los Alamos Community (2025)

The Black Hole (aka the Los Alamos Sales Company) was a unsocial shop and attraction for galore years successful Los Alamos that displayed an assortment of items procured by Ed Grothus, who was a Los Alamos National Laboratory machinist successful the precocious 1940s. Grothus near LANL and became an outspoken anti-nuclear activistic who operated the Black Hole, a business that collected and sold salvaged surplus instrumentality from the Laboratory that he felt could beryllium repurposed for a serene re-use.

For galore years, the Black Hole was a noted visitant destination successful Los Alamos County drafting visitors from astir the world. Janire Najera, an accomplished documentary photographer and multimedia creator worked pinch Ed successful his later years to show the communicative of the Black Hole. Her useful see the book “Atomic Ed (2019),” a short film, and an grounds featuring original photographs, letters, documents, and essays. The grounds has been shown successful Cardiff, Wales, and Logrono, Spain. These items connection insights into the history of the atomic weapons programme successful Los Alamos and the bequest of Ed Grothus’ activism. The assemblage of activity contributes to the knowing of the contention inherent successful the atomic weapons programme and the history of Los Alamos. Since Grothus’ death, these items person been curated and maintained by Janire.

There has precocious been liking successful bringing Najera’s Black Hole postulation backmost to Los Alamos
to beryllium displayed successful a recently created “Black Hole Museum.” Ideally, the depository would beryllium displayed wrong a building pinch sealed show windows, specified arsenic a surplus shipping container.
Or, the depository could beryllium displayed wrong an existing, underutilized structure, specified arsenic the
incinerator building astatine the Los Alamos Airport adjacent the Terminal. This location is besides perfect for making the Los Alamos airdrome a tourer destination wrong the aviation community.

The depository would beryllium sealed and self-service, meaning that visitors would beryllium capable to locomotion up and entree the exhibits without the request for a guide. This would let the nationalist to position the postulation unattended (similar to the Marfa, TX “Prada” museum), while minimizing the attraction costs. The exhibits would beryllium designed to show the communicative of Black Hole successful a visually engaging way, utilizing artifacts, photographs, and interactive displays. Iconic items specified arsenic the Black Hole motion could beryllium utilized to create a destruction characteristic that would beryllium the taxable of selfies akin to the Los Alamos Main Gate replica astatine East Park. The depository level could characteristic a number of interactive displays that would let visitors to interact pinch the communicative of Black Hole successful a much hands-on way. These displays could see games, puzzles, and virtual reality experiences accessed utilizing smartphone technology.

The possibilities could beryllium expanded beyond those projected here. If you are willing successful participating successful this opportunity, aliases would for illustration to supply input, please contact: Kevin Holsapple – [email protected] Or follow/like https://www.facebook.com/placesandspacesLA