“ゴジラ/ɡɒdˈzɪlə/” by Jane Chang Mi

Title:

ゴジラ/ɡɒdˈzɪlə/

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Filmmaker, Video Artist, or Animator(s):



• Jane Chang Mi

Symposium:

• ISEA2022: 27th International Symposium on Electronic Art
• More artworks from ISEA2022:  

Venue(s):

• Santa Mònica , Barcelona , Spain

Medium:

video

Duration:

1:36:00

Artist Statement:

On March 1, 1954, Daigo Fukuryū Maru (Lucky Dragon Five), a Japanese fishing boat, was contaminated by nuclear fallout as a result of the United States’ thermonuclear test, Castle Bravo, in Bikini Atoll. The first ゴジラ movie was released in November 1954, as a direct response to this incident as well as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The kaiju (monsters) are a metaphor for nuclear weapons, the American militarization of the Pacific, and environmental disaster. In total, 29 Japanese films were made by Toho Co., Ltd. ゴジラ/ɡɒdˈzɪlə/ (2020) is a 96-minute single-channel video with sound that layers all 29 films simultaneously, but with all scenes involving monsters and humans removed. This erasure mirrors the United States’ policies and actions as a settler and colonial nation, leaving a wake of destruction in its path. The transparencies reflecting the half-life of radioactive isotopes as well as the trauma of America’s nuclear legacy. We are the monsters and the monsters are us.
Video: https://vimeo.com/719209357/9c1a82e4ef