Impact case study database

CA, and the associated publications, industry engagement, conferences, talks, and other academic and artistic activities, have facilitated awareness of the contribution of arts practices to nuclear sites and changed understanding around nuclearity, place and land amongst artists, curators, nuclear practitioners, members of the public, and across cultural and industrial sectors.

Impact 1: Influencing the nuclear sector to utilise artistic approaches to nuclear warnings

The long-term storage of nuclear waste is a major international concern. Some facilities such as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, in the US, are expected to store highly radioactive materials for 10,000 years. The potential danger of disrupting one of these sites needs to be communicated and understood by civilizations across deep time (time on a geologic scale), potentially thousands of years into the future. Nuclear ‘semiotics’ was coined by the Human Interference Task Force in 1981, and is concerned with how these messages are crafted and placed in-situ. This task is now carried forward by the Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency (a specialised agency within the OECD) through its initiative on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory Across Generations (RK&M Initiative). The initiative began work in 2011 as part of a ‘Phase 1’ to 2014, and included scoping workshops, project fieldwork and studies and concluded with a major ‘International Conference and Debate’ in Verdun, France. Williams was invited to this conference to present work related to CA, to 168 global experts and nuclear agencies from 17 countries: “ The conference (RK&M, Verdun) is being designed more to stimulate new thinking than to report on progress… Strands of interest to the (RK&M) project include the use of visual arts… It is in this context that I am extending you an invitation to exhibit at the conference, as your varied collection could form a particularly valuable input to the discussions” (S9).

William’s contribution, as an artist, to this conference provided new opportunities for nuclear practitioners and decision makers to consider the concept of the Atomic Priest, and how this can serve to inform future generations about nuclear hazards (S1). Each delegate also received a copy of the CA illustrated book (R1). Subsequently, and as a result of contributions to the RK&M Initiative from a diverse group of individuals (including Williams), phase 2 was approved and funded to April 2018 to develop practical tools for implementing RK&M preservation.

The final ‘tool-box’, published by the OECD and NEA, contained 9 approaches and 35 mechanisms as ‘Key Information Files’ (S2) which nations can use as part of a ‘menu’ and ‘systemic strategy’ to preserve RK&M about radioactive waste disposal facilities. One of these mechanisms – ‘Art’ – states that “Art can support RK&M preservation as it can help and stimulate the exploration of speculative futures and the visualisation of the immaterial and invisible,” and directly cites CA through the conference RK&M conference proceedings p110-136 (S2). The Nuclear Cultures Source Book, (The Arts Catalyst/Bildmuseet Umeå) (S7) includes CA as a contributor to the RK&M debate, where CA is cited within the nuclear cultures discourse. The CA conference paper is now listed on the International Nuclear Information System (part of the International Atomic Energy Agency), which is one of the world's largest collections of published information on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology (S3).

Impact 2: Raising public awareness about long-term nuclear repositories

More recently, Williams and CA was cited as part of an article on BBC Future (S6i) (“a home for slowing down, delving deep and shifting perspectives”), and a BBC Future Facebook post of the article had 51 comments and 19 shares. Earlier articles in The Atlantic (S6ii) and Financial Times (S6iii) refers to CA’s work in generating oral traditions around nuclear sites. These diverse publications have enabled the public to engage with the issue of long-term nuclear repositories.

It was Williams’ collaboration with an Arts Catalyst Curatorial Researcher (S11) that additionally enabled curatorial objects related to CA to reach a wider audience through inclusion in the exhibition series: Perpetual Uncertainty: Contemporary Art in the Nuclear Anthropocene (S4), part of an Arts Catalyst Funded initiative – Nuclear Cultures. For Perpetual Uncertainty, the Curatorial Researcher (S11) selected specific artists from Europe, Japan and the USA to investigate, as part of a community of practitioners, questions of nuclear technology, radiation and the transmission of knowledge over deep time futures (S4).

The inclusion of CA in these significant international exhibitions and fora extends the reach of this project to audiences at internationally renowned galleries and museums. Attendance figures were significant, with associated outreach and public programmes increasing engagement and discourses around nuclear issues. A number of exhibition reviews confirmed its significance (S5). Exhibition venue visitor numbers included:

• Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden (2018), exhibition Visitors: 49,881, Public Programmes: 973 (exhibition opened by the Swedish Deputy Prime Minister, Isabella Lövin)

• Bildmuseet, Umeå, Sweden (2016) - Exhibition Visitors: 41,236, Public Programmes: 2,029

• Z33 Gallery. Hasselt, Belgium (2017) - Exhibition Visitors: 4,878, Public programmes: 300

Impact 3: Contributing to discussion and debate with industry, the public and practitioners

CA additionally influenced the nuclear sector in Cumbria, including Dr Paul Abraitis (S10), Director of Eden Nuclear and Environment: “ Cumbrian Alchemy has stimulated significant interest and been useful as a discussion point within Eden Nuclear and Environment’s consultancy business… this work has undoubtedly widened horizons by exposing the interfaces between the sciences, which are often core to Eden NE’s work, and the contemporary arts in a way that explores the relationship between the nuclear, environment and society.”

This ‘relationship’ is particularly important in Cumbria as the industry supports around 12,000 jobs at Sellafield Ltd., as well as via an extensive supply chain. Sellafield Ltd represents 59.4% of Copeland District’s GVA, and this, coupled with Copeland’s high deprivation (12.2% of Lower Super Output Areas are in the highest decile of indices of multiple deprivation), means that ways of preserving RK&M and promoting debate about nuclear more generally are important for local people. Cumbria itself has been considering a long-term nuclear waste repository for a number of years, and a series of public exhibitions (2014-2015), including at Rheged Centre, Penrith, The Beacon, Whitehaven, and Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, enabled timely public engagement around nuclear cultures at a time of contentious debate and consideration (S8).

R1 (print run 1,000 copies) has helped to improve understanding of the relationship between nuclear, folklore, and archaeology by bringing contributors from different fields who do not typically collaborate. It includes contributions from Dr David Barrowclough (Dept. of Archaeology University of Cambridge), considering the concept of deep time in Cumbria and the future archaeology of long-term storage of nuclear waste; Dr Paul Abraitis (nuclear practitioners with Environment Agency/Eden Nuclear & Environment) exploring the natural history of radiation in the region; and Alan Cleaver (journalist) providing cultural and local folkloric perspectives, and insights into the mythic spaces of Cumbria. The introduction is by renowned American environmental artist Mark Dion, and Nick Thurston (Information as Material, 2014) states: “The book represents a project formed at the juncture of the speculative imaginary and a future so real not even science-fiction could foresee it.”

CA therefore highlighted the role of the arts, and in particular this Cumbrian Alchemy project, in offering important contributions to the speculations, debates and strategies involved in the communication of risks of extant nuclear facilities and repositories, the relationship to the communities and environment(s) living near nuclear sites; and the broader discourses of nuclearity for the near and far future.

Impact 1: TFIAOS has generated new, co-produced films, exhibitions, and artworks to facilitate policy debate and dialogue amongst international decision makers at the UN

In a newly edited film form, You Must Carry Me Now from TFIAOS (R1) was part of the exhibition ‘ÁKALL – CHALLENGE - Art in the Service of Sustainability’ (2016) curated by Ásthildur Jónsdóttir (S1). AKALL - CHALLENGE featured at the UN headquarters in New York, USA, for the duration of a two week long meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2016. The forum had been specifically mandated to follow up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and was the first meeting to take place since the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all 193 UN member states. It also included a three-day ministerial segment (occurring every four years) at the level of Heads of State and Government.

The exhibition was specifically associated with this event through its pertinent location at the Forum’s ‘delegate’s entrance’, utilised by representatives from 145 member states, and allowing R1 to receive particular prominence amongst key decision makers on sustainable development. This presence was further reinforced via pre-recorded audio tours, where Wilson (and other artists) discussed (in five minutes) the ideas behind the work, how it speaks to their perceptual experience, and the nature of the perceptual journey that the audience is invited to experience. Catalogues and books by the artists (including R2) were on display for each of the delegates from the 145 member states. Through these different means of interaction, delegates engaged with the work and research. This was evidenced by Einar Gunnarsson (Icelandic Ambassador and Forum Member) and Nikulas Hannigan (Chair, UN Commission for Social Development which oversees the Forum); expressing how many of these works provoked particularly interesting discussions amongst delegates on the nature of sustainable development and how best to deliver it in harmony with nature (S2).

By taking the art out of traditional galleries and into this space of exchange and collaboration between international leaders, TFIAOS presence served to raise awareness amongst key political decision makers concerned with implementing the SDGs in their own countries (S2). As evidence of its success, the curator was asked to undertake a further exhibition at Scandinavia House in New York where R1-6 were displayed under the title ‘Borrowed Time’ (S1) for five months, featuring a number of workshops designed to increase the interest of exhibition guests in environmental factors and community actions.

Impact 2: Public awareness through international exhibitions and engaging young people in creative practice

TFIAOS has highlighted the paradoxical conditions of conservation practice and our need to consider how we live in harmony. In the case of the chub, dam removal would bring habitat benefits, but angling income would reduce, and Phoenix residents would be affected by water scarcity. For the condor, there is an incongruity regarding the lengthy (but necessary) rehabilitations to maintain species survival, and the common (over)hunting practices that indirectly lead to poisoning. TFIAOS has both given a new platform for these various actors (scientists, hunters, rangers), and served to create an accessible means by which members of the public can respond. A review in StatePress elucidates : “TFIAOS is an unusual title […] but the mission behind it is both massively important and fascinating…The exhibition seeks to make us, as humans, understand our role alongside these, and other animals. We're ‘cohabitants’, […] and a single trek through the gallery makes that point very clear”. (S3)

In making this point, elements of TFIAOS R1-6 were exhibited at three international sites, inviting the public to participate and engage with the work in the expectation of shaping individual attitudes and values regarding human-environmental behaviour. A report from the TFIAOS solo-exhibition at Arizona State Museum (S4) evidences 8,500 visitors over a three-month period (Oct 2014-Jan 2015). S4 also outlines how staff and students in the Museum education department toured 2,237 schoolchildren through the exhibition. Two teacher workshops provided opportunities for using TFIAOS in curriculum delivery. Three public outreach events were held, including three sessions of ‘First Saturdays for Family’s’ (430 children and parents attended), featuring arts and crafts (mini sculptures/posters/print-making), a native bird release, and book readings. One school brought grades 5-8 to the exhibition, and were required to conduct their own research on R3; taking notes and creating art work based on their findings back in the classroom. The 8th grade students debated the pros and cons of saving the Chub and the impact on Arizona. Students created videos on the condor and chub for classmates who did not go on the field trip (S4). Wilson designed a logo: “The Chub's the Thing" which was printed locally in Phoenix on t-shirts and tote bags. These are examples of research-led engagement with young people, typically under-engaged in these fields, leading to increased cultural participation (S4, S5).

The exhibition ‘Sagas on Thin Ice’ (S6) was curated by Ombretta Agró Andruff and held at the Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami, Florida, as part of ‘Art Basel Miami Beach’ (ABMB) (2016-17). ABMB is an international art fair, with 268 of the world’s top galleries showcasing modern, contemporary and cutting-edge work. A record-breaking 82,000 visited ABMB 2017. ‘Sagas on Thin Ice’ drew on R1-6, and along with other artists, served to comment, highlight and take an activist stand against ecosystems threats, documenting how climate change, often fuelled by human actions, in turn, driven by economic interests, is impacting the natural environment.

Impact 3: TFIOAS enabled conservationists to consider their work in a new way and to utilise arts practice in other conservation efforts

TFIAOS has directly influenced the US National Parks decision to collaborate with non-profit JTLab (Joshua Tree Lab) who explore ways that the creative community can work with the National Park Service to support protected areas. This collaboration supported conservation efforts at Joshua Tree National Park including a tortoise/vehicle collision prevention effort (branding by artists, deployed by scientists). This influence is confirmed by the Deputy Chief and Research Manager at Grand Canyon National Park (S7), who explained how TFIAOS has also been influential in solving the challenges of public lands being ‘loved to death’ during the Coronavirus pandemic, utilising an interdisciplinary approach with artists and architects to design solutions to disperse visitors but keep them concentrated to reduce resource impacts.

During the development of TFIAOS, S7 had responsibility for conservation efforts in the Grand Canyon National Park and facilitated meetings between Wilson and key scientists working in the Canyon, and attended the subsequent research symposium. The species wall supported this individual to “put context and skill in a visual space, especially as a manager who has so many species under one’s care”, and the research has influenced her approach to conservation: “The condor specimen photographs, along with the stories of each individual bird was very powerful and I consider it changed the way I think about connecting people with animal species in danger – by making it personal and making personal connections…” This is significant in the context of this role, with oversight of conservation practices across nearly 5000 square kilometres of national park: “ [the] experience expanded my horizons and thinking as an applied scientist and public land manager” (S7).

Impact 4: TFIAOS has benefited the project participants (scientists and anglers) and influenced creative practice on issues of environmental concern

Regarding participant benefit, R1 includes the histories of individual birds documented through photography and narratives as well as the testimonies from the scientists themselves: the individuals working tirelessly to ‘save’ individual condors as well as the entire species. TFIAOS therefore benefitted the 14 scientists (as participants and practitioners) by bringing their individual (and often highly personal) observations into the public sphere for the first time; using this tool to highlight the emotional connectedness between man and nature.

TFIAOS further benefited 30 anglers, assisting them in engaging with an alternative point of view regarding fishing and conservation (R4d). In contrast to the condor, efforts to conserve the native ‘chub’ are more haphazard. Whole creeks are ‘electro-fished’ to transfer the chub upstream and remove the non-native trout; an action little understood or appreciated by anglers. R4d stimulated debate about these practices with anglers; prompting them to consider different points of view on chub conservation, and the ecological need to ‘restore’ or ‘maintain’ all species regardless of perceived value. Whilst the condor is iconic and visible, the chub receives significantly less public attention despite its own ‘right’ to exist in the river. In this context and dynamic, TFIAOS has made visible the plight of “ an un-charismatic species”, bringing these competing voices into the public domain to aid understanding concerning the scope, complexities and considerations of environmental conservation.

The Chief Research Strategist (GIS) (S8) stated TFIAOS as epitomising ‘…what this marriage of sciences and the humanities brings […] two different ways of understanding the worlds [and] a real revelation of tension(s) […] and the creation of discomfort that I think we have to learn to embrace, if we’re going to carry this conversation on sustainability forward…”

TFIAOS has therefore captured the complexity of groups all vying for their specific interests and ideas concerning the future of endangered species. By bringing diverse and complex (and often at odds) ‘voices’ into the public domain, TFIAOS has demonstrated the importance of contemporary art to environmental conservation, decision-making, perceptions, engagement and ultimately, action. There has been an influence on different academic disciplines, as a result of our work. This is elucidated in S9, where the impact is seen by Aglert and Holmberg as “widening the scope of the cultural imaginary” and “sensitising audiences to ecological thought.” This is to say, that through TFIAOS, the complexities of environmental restoration and preservation are made more accessible to the audience (and the reach of this project’s audience is expanded in Impact 3).

The book You Must Carry Me Now received a distribution grant from Sveriges Kulturråd in 2018, a series aiming to broaden perspectives about living on Earth by facilitating discussion and practice of co-habiting and co-involving. Because of TFIAOS’ contribution to public understanding, this grant allowed placement of one copy of the book in each of the 288 public libraries in Sweden, plus many Swedish reference libraries. It is stocked at the bookshops of many international art museums, e.g. Gothenburg Art Museum, Hafnarhusíd, Iceland Art Museum, Reykjavík, Anchorage Museum, Alaska etc.