s e r i e s | T R I N I T Y
TRINITY
letters to robert grosseteste
robert grosseteste (c.1175-1253) was an english theologian and scientist, and bishop of lincoln.
he is the author of "de luce," an essay on light that begins with the sentences:
"the first corporeal form which some call corporeity is in my opinion light. for light of its very nature diffuses itself in every direction in such a way that a point of light will produce instantaneously a sphere of light of any size whatsoever, unless some opaque object stands in the way."
[trans. claire c. reidl]
drawing + text project.
various sizes and materials.
ongoing.
letters to robert grosseteste
robert grosseteste (c.1175-1253) was an english theologian and scientist, and bishop of lincoln.
he is the author of "de luce," an essay on light that begins with the sentences:
"the first corporeal form which some call corporeity is in my opinion light. for light of its very nature diffuses itself in every direction in such a way that a point of light will produce instantaneously a sphere of light of any size whatsoever, unless some opaque object stands in the way."
[trans. claire c. reidl]
drawing + text project.
various sizes and materials.
ongoing.
FIRST POSTCARD
text:
robert: look at this. rehaan /
typed text, pencil, and colour pencil on card
5"X7"
text:
robert: look at this. rehaan /
typed text, pencil, and colour pencil on card
5"X7"
TRINITY : PART ONE
THE FIREPLACES OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER
Groueff: Do you remember the circumstances of your first meeting with Groves?
Oppenheimer: Yes.
Groueff: I think he said it was on the train.
Oppenheimer: No, the first meeting with Groves was at the house of the President of the University for California. It was called Sproul and we had lunch there, I think. And after lunch, I — I said, “This thing will never get on the rails unless there is a place where people can talk to each other and work together on the problems of the bomb. And this could be at Oak Ridge, it could be some California desert, but someplace — there's got to be a place where people are free to discuss what they know and what they don't know and to find out what they can.” And that made an impression on him. And the next time we met was in Chicago and he asked me to travel with him — probably Nichols.
Groueff: Marshall probably.
Oppenheimer: Marshall, yeah, on the 20th Century Limited. And I did for a certain distance, and at that time, we agreed that we would try to set up a laboratory.
Groueff: But was it then that you were assigned with—?
Oppenheimer: I had been assigned by Compton, but it was a responsibility without — without any means of doing anything about it.
Groueff: But the decision that you should head the whole project of the assembling of the bomb and all this, the weapon side, was—?
Oppenheimer: That was probably somewhat later. My — my — my argument was not that I should head it, but that it should exist.
Groueff: I see.
Oppenheimer: And the — I think that probably there was — that Groves would know this better, but there was probably a long period of indecision about who the best person was to head it. I know that my friend Ed McMillan was considered, who was then probably not quite right for it. He is now the Director of the Lawrence Laboratory. And — I think that after a certain amount of uncertainty and vacillation, it was formally confirmed in the first days of 1943. But all this is a record, I just don't have it.
Groueff: My sources--
Oppenheimer: A letter was sent by Groves and Conant to me establishing the laboratory and me as its Director--
Groueff: I read it.
Oppenheimer: And it is published in--
Groueff: I saw this. But your selection, I think, was made probably between Compton on one side and Groves—?
Oppenheimer: Well, in the nature of things, I am not an expert on it.
Groueff: And so from — from there, when you — when you—?
Oppenheimer: Well, in ’42 in the autumn, things were advanced enough so that we actually started looking for a place. And McMillan and I went off together with one of Groves’ officers and Groves joined us and he liked the Los Alamos site, which I showed him, and it was certainly better than the one the officer had found, whether it was good or not, I don't know. So the work on the Los Alamos project started in the autumn of ’42 and I was involved in the design of laboratories, houses. All the houses had balconies and fireplaces.
Groueff: That was your big contribution [laughing]?
Oppenheimer: That was my big contribution [laughing].
[J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER DISCUSSING THE MANHATTAN PROJECT IN AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANE GROUEFF, 1965]
pencil on square ruled paper, 8.5" x 11.5"
26 drawings
THE FIREPLACES OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER
Groueff: Do you remember the circumstances of your first meeting with Groves?
Oppenheimer: Yes.
Groueff: I think he said it was on the train.
Oppenheimer: No, the first meeting with Groves was at the house of the President of the University for California. It was called Sproul and we had lunch there, I think. And after lunch, I — I said, “This thing will never get on the rails unless there is a place where people can talk to each other and work together on the problems of the bomb. And this could be at Oak Ridge, it could be some California desert, but someplace — there's got to be a place where people are free to discuss what they know and what they don't know and to find out what they can.” And that made an impression on him. And the next time we met was in Chicago and he asked me to travel with him — probably Nichols.
Groueff: Marshall probably.
Oppenheimer: Marshall, yeah, on the 20th Century Limited. And I did for a certain distance, and at that time, we agreed that we would try to set up a laboratory.
Groueff: But was it then that you were assigned with—?
Oppenheimer: I had been assigned by Compton, but it was a responsibility without — without any means of doing anything about it.
Groueff: But the decision that you should head the whole project of the assembling of the bomb and all this, the weapon side, was—?
Oppenheimer: That was probably somewhat later. My — my — my argument was not that I should head it, but that it should exist.
Groueff: I see.
Oppenheimer: And the — I think that probably there was — that Groves would know this better, but there was probably a long period of indecision about who the best person was to head it. I know that my friend Ed McMillan was considered, who was then probably not quite right for it. He is now the Director of the Lawrence Laboratory. And — I think that after a certain amount of uncertainty and vacillation, it was formally confirmed in the first days of 1943. But all this is a record, I just don't have it.
Groueff: My sources--
Oppenheimer: A letter was sent by Groves and Conant to me establishing the laboratory and me as its Director--
Groueff: I read it.
Oppenheimer: And it is published in--
Groueff: I saw this. But your selection, I think, was made probably between Compton on one side and Groves—?
Oppenheimer: Well, in the nature of things, I am not an expert on it.
Groueff: And so from — from there, when you — when you—?
Oppenheimer: Well, in ’42 in the autumn, things were advanced enough so that we actually started looking for a place. And McMillan and I went off together with one of Groves’ officers and Groves joined us and he liked the Los Alamos site, which I showed him, and it was certainly better than the one the officer had found, whether it was good or not, I don't know. So the work on the Los Alamos project started in the autumn of ’42 and I was involved in the design of laboratories, houses. All the houses had balconies and fireplaces.
Groueff: That was your big contribution [laughing]?
Oppenheimer: That was my big contribution [laughing].
[J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER DISCUSSING THE MANHATTAN PROJECT IN AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANE GROUEFF, 1965]
pencil on square ruled paper, 8.5" x 11.5"
26 drawings