I have to be honest, I see there is something big here but I don’t understand it entirely.
After some time spent thinking about the effects of nuclear radiation, and the evolutionary processes it triggers/will trigger as we not only face the disasters of Hiroshima and Chernobyl, but begin to cope in a long-term way with the waste that is generated worldwide by harnessing nuclear power for energy, I saw this:
The Radiation Collection by NOCC
“We imagined a scenario in which traditional pieces of furniture would have endured some kind of radiation; where their genes would have mutated “ said Jean-Christophe Orthlieb and Juan Pablo Naranjo, co-founder of NOCC. “The next generation of these pieces would then manifest the mutations. We came up with many versions of possible mutants. We then wondered which of these mutations would be “positive” evolutions, that would enable the entity to better survive in its environment, while others we called “negative” evolutions (these comprised the majority) and did nothing, even reducing the ability of the entity to survive in its environment.”
The mutations incurred by wildlife, nature, our habitat due to our introduction of nuclear material is an issue that enjoys some kind of \’cult\’ fear status, but is not often at the forefront of media attention in practical, solution-oriented ways. In the pursuit of clean energy, nuclear is heralded as a solution. But how will our world, and ourselves, deal with the unavoidable fallout of mistakes, accidents, and unforeseen events in the harnessing, transport, and disposal processes that will no doubt introduce radioactive material into the environment?
I\’ve been thinking about ways to introduce the idea nuclear mutations, and their impacts and effects to general audiences in response to Columbia Art Journal\’s 10,000 year design competition.
And then I find – furniture? With a big open gaping hole in public knowledge and consideration of nuclear mutation effects, why is one of the few public art/design explorations of this issue dealing with the fairytale of furniture mutations? Amidst the countless unknowns nuclear radiation raises, we explore new forms for chairs?
Truth is stranger than fiction.
But again, there’s something there, I can’t tell if its creative avoidance or this is yet another dance in the face of apocalypse.