A CRY FOR FUKUSHIMA Acrylic 24" x 24"
by Mary Lou Dauray
I have asked myself what can I do, as an artist, about
the worst industrial calamity in human history * ---the triple meltdown of the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants. I
am overwhelmed by the unprecedented scope of this disaster. I become paralyzed by the information that is
now coming forth—five years after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and
tsunami-caused destruction.
When I decided about 15 years ago to begin making art
about events in the world that concerned me, I did created work on a variety of
topics. Eventually I started painting
about global warming and climate change.
Then last fall I decided to do art about nuclear energy because I do not
believe nuclear power should be considered a reliable source of alternative
energy. How to begin? It took a while, but I felt that the disaster
at Fukushima would be my entry into the complicated world of nuclear
energy. I started with a drawing of the
black plastic bags that are filled with radioactive waste from the Fukushima
Daiichi area. Apparently there are now
30 millions of these one ton bags scattered all over the prefecture in an
unsuccessful effort to make the land livable again. It was determined that by cleaning out the contamination the soil
would be free from radioactivity. However,
when it rains or snows, the radioactivity returns.
My picture, “The Cry at Fukushima”, evolved through
many days and numerous layers of paint.
At one point, a tragic face, encapsulated in the storage bag, appeared. It
seemed appropriate and I kept it because approximately 160,000 people have been
displaced from their homes and the disruption has caused suicides, loss of
communities, and intense despair. In
addition, a governmental cover-up has lead to a lack of information as to
exactly what is happening. There has not
an answer yet as to how to even find the core that melted down in one of the
plants. A “Secrets” law has been enacted that forbids journalists to write
about the situation. Apparently thyroid
cancers are beginning to appear at a higher rate than average among children. Tons
of radioactive waters pour into the Pacific Ocean daily. No one knows exactly what to do and there
does not seem to be an end in sight. The
world has never experienced any situation like this.
www.maryloudauray.com
*A quote by Arnie Gundersen, Board of Directors,
Fairewinds Organization. Gundersen has
had more than 40 years of nuclear power engineering experience and he is
currently in Japan doing podcasts about the situation. www.fairewinds.org
