Producing electricity from nuclear fission was a new concept in the 1950s. To engage the public, the industry publicised the construction and opening of each new power station in the 1950s–1960s. This article examines the industry narrative and argues that aspects were emphasized or hidden to suit the needs of the industry. Emphasis on scientific innovation and protection of the natural environment is evident, whereas elements of risk are omitted so as to promote an ideal method of electricity generation.

The challenge of making sense of deep time through ritual presents the research context for this paper: in examining how rituals can inform transgenerational memory of nuclear waste, the paper discusses similarities between rituals in art and science through artistic research to address a primary concern regarding the socio-political and ecological implications involved in the perpetual management of nuclear waste.

In 2021, BASE headed a short workshop called “What do we need to do to trust in models?” at the first edition of the safeND symposium conference (safeND: "Safety of Nuclear Waste Diposal“; Kock et al. 2021). Because of the broad interest people showed in the topic, three consecutive workshops on the topic of “Trust in Models” (TiM) were held between 2022 and 2025.  In this Open Letter, we will present the main points of discussion.