I've copied below information I've had from Simon Hollington, part of the team that created the Wyndhamesque "Invisible Force Field Experiments" installation a couple of years ago.
Simon says:
"This one is almost Sci Fi as it is based on the BBC 'Edge of Darkness'
series of the 80's-so we have jumped a couple of decades.
Its rather IFFE as we have done the same kind of thing but created a nuclear facility in the heart of the city-and yes obviously it is in melt down.
And yes, Lucas Parkes will be making a minor appearance again, but only for the keen observer.
And no, B.A.N.G. does not exist-well not quite with that name anyway."
I liked the IFFE installations (or rather the CD that I had of it), so this might be worth a visit.
The Arts Catalyst with SCAN
in association with RSA Arts & Ecology
present
NUCLEAR: Art & Radioactivity
New commissions by Chris Oakley and Simon Hollington & Kypros Kyprianou
Opens Thu 13 November (private view 6 – 8.30pm, open to press from 4pm)
Runs: 14 - 16, 20 - 23, 27 - 30 November 2008, 12 – 6.30pm Admission free Nicholls and Clarke Building, 3-10 Shoreditch High Street, Spitalfields, London E1
Nuclear Talkaoke with The People Speak - Friday 14 November Nuclear Forum at the RSA - Friday 28 November
Nuclear power is re-emerging as a concern for our times, both as a generator of energy and as part of a defence strategy. Today it seems to stand for the failed utopian promises of modernism and a fresh hope for a carbon-free future. The contradictions that lie at its core have provided a rich source of questioning for artists, scientists, ecologists and activists for many years. The exhibition NUCLEAR: Art & Radioactivity explores these intricacies through two new commissioned works by Chris Oakley and Simon Hollington & Kypros Kyprianou.
Last year, high court judge Jeremy Sullivan caused an apparent setback to the government's nuclear energy ambitions by ruling that public consultation into the creation of a new fleet of nuclear power stations was "misleading", "seriously flawed" and "procedurally unfair". The content presented to the public was so without substance that the judge ruled it would be "wholly insufficient for them to make an intelligent response". Soon after these events, Simon Hollington & Kypros Kyprianou started a residency at The British Atomic Nuclear Group as part of a public perceptions program initiated in response to the 2007 ruling.
Hollington & Kyprianou’s work in NUCLEAR: Art & Radioactivity is the outcome from this residency, particularly their work within B.A.N.G’s wide-ranging public consultation process into the possibility of siting a nuclear power facility in the heart of London. Their new installation, 'The Nightwatchman’ takes the changing perceptions of the nuclear power industry over its 50 year history into a single immersive narrative environment. Combining the concerns of two different eras (that of the mid-80’s and that of the present day), ‘ The Nightwatchman’ blends fact and fiction into a darkly humorous journey from hard-nosed PR to a logical hysteria.
Chris Oakley's new film 'Half-life' looks at the histories of Harwell, birthplace of the UK nuclear industry, and the new development of fusion energy technology at the Culham facility in Oxfordshire. Oakley has gained the cooperation of both these organisations in his research and filming. The film examines nuclear science research through a historical and cultural filter. It includes live action material alongside archive sources and animated sections drawn from scientific diagrams. With the recent widespread acceptance of the reality of climate change driven by carbon dioxide emissions, the work explores the realities and myths surrounding the nuclear sciences.
Two discussion events accompany the exhibition.
A Nuclear Talkaoke is being hosted by The People Speak at time, Fri 14 November within the exhibition in the Nicholls & Clarke building. A mobile chat-show, the format allows all visitors to comment on the work and the issues around it in an informal and entertaining way. Admission is free and there's no need to book, however,if you would like to bring a group of people to the exhibition and Talkaoke, or if you have special access needs, please contact The Arts Catalyst on 020 7375 3690.
In partnership with the RSA Arts & Ecology, The Arts Catalyst and SCAN present a nuclear forum at the RSA on Friday 28 November (10am to 6pm) exploring the impact of nuclear power in art and culture. Prominent artists, writers and experts will discuss their work and engagement with the issues around nuclear energy, from Hiroshima through the 50s’
‘white heat of technology’ and the Cold War nuclear tensions to present day energy debates. Speakers include the controversial American ‘nuclear sculptor’ James Acord, whose work caused huge public and media attention as the highlight of The Arts Catalyst’s ATOMIC exhibition in London ten years ago. The RSA is at 8 John Adam Street, WC2. Nearest tube Temple/Embankment. Free. Please register at art@rsa.org.uk
ACCESS: The Nicholls and Clarke Building and the RSA are accessible to people in wheelchairs. Please note there is no on-site toilet at the Nicholls & Clarke Building. For other access enquiries, please contact The Arts Catalyst on 020 7375 3690.
NUCLEAR: Art & Radioactivity is commissioned and produced by The Arts Catalyst with SCAN media arts agency, and in association with the RSA, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce. The Arts Catalyst and SCAN are funded by Arts Council England
