"NINE MILLION BAGS AND COUNTING #2"
Acrylic on canvas 24" x 24"
by Mary Lou Dauray
This picture, “Nine Million Bags and Counting #2,”
is my second in a series about nuclear energy. I am deeply concerned about the
dangers posed by past, current and future nuclear power development and the
dilemma posed by nuclear waste disposal.
This is a critical and ominous issue that can threaten a healthy
existence of all life on this planet. Admittedly, before I decided to tackle this topic of nuclear
energy as my current artwork direction, I realized early on that I was not a
scientist—just an artist trying to use my voice about climate destruction. As a result, I plunged into the world of
online information about the topic nuclear. When I came upon the incredible photos of nine million plastic bags of stored waste from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in Japan, I realized
I had my subject. These bags, with a lifespan of three years, are neatly piled above ground or even in some backyards. Alarmingly, after a
serious flooding from an intense rainstorm in the Fukushima area last September, 2015, I found out that scores
of these 264-gallon plastic bags just floated away and some even broke
open. I even saw a photo of a person
scooping up the radioactive debris with bare hands! Keep in mind that the Olympics are scheduled
to occur in Japan in 2020…an issue that the government is keenly aware of.
My second artwork, as you can see, is definitely going in the
more abstract direction than my first effort.
Thanks for your efforts, Mary Lou. If that's your inner calling, go for it. The industry is a big web as I found out. A web of investors. It touches so much. Progress is made by raising awareness. I've spent a good part of my life in that endeavor. Back when I was opposing the nuclear plants in Charlestown; it was raising awareness about alternative energy, wind, solor and tides to name a few. I was accused of being a nut case but look at alternative energy today. I found that fighting them wasn't the answer but raising awareness about alternatives. Your friend, Dave
ReplyDeleteDave, Clearly you should have bought stock in the hipster energy sources back then. *smile* Seriously, you are not alone. Those of us who stand up to the big bad and the uglies, even if we do it with honey, are deemed nut cases. Hats off to you for speaking truth to power as some of us say because it really did make a difference, even if it was a long time coming.
DeleteRoger W Lives.
powerful stuff mary lou. the somberness does not paralyze due to the almost natural rock quality of the plastic bags - as though there are possibilities of radical and unexpected transformation.
ReplyDelete