“The Atomic Kinship: Re-Imagining Radioactive Agency Through Artistic Research” presented by Naukkarinen and Rio
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Virtual (full papers)
Presentation Title:
- The Atomic Kinship: Re-Imagining Radioactive Agency Through Artistic Research
Presentation Subtheme:
- Speculative practices
Presenter(s):
Abstract:
This article explores the space of potentiality in-between interpretation and failure, in re-imagining radioactive agency within the framework of artistic research. By presenting the collaborative project Atomic Kinship, the article references an existing idea, that of a cult of radioactivity, which was proposed in relation to the realization of a repository for spent nuclear waste, as a means of transmitting cautionary messages about the dangers of encountering buried radioactive waste through deep time.
The article explores the physics of radioactivity and proceeds by presenting historical connections between its discovery and photography, highlighting the interconnectivity of art and research. By acknowledging the material agency of radioactivity, the collaborative artwork Decay Cyphers speculates on the possibility of decoding messages from radioactive sources, to open up questions about the nature of matter, existence, time and belief.
The Atomic Kinship thus proposes to consider an affective relation to radioactivity; an emotional connection with this nonhuman agent that can embrace different temporalities and dis/placements of radioactive particles, through the introduction of a deity. By envisioning a communal way of relating to radioactivity, the project intends to open questions about the ethical value of these reflections in addressing the issue of radioactive inheritance.
