Hasta La Ideas

An army of 100 scarecrows dressed in glowing decontamination suits kept a sinister vigil over the Dockville Festival in Hamburg earlier this month.

Installed by Spanish designers Luzinterruptus, the figures were supported in regular rows and adorned with nuclear symbols, blank faces and taped-up mouths.

They remained in place for one month.

Luzinterruptus specialise in guerrilla lighting installations, with past project including “cosy” places to relax and read crime novels in undesirable parts of town and autumn leaves with LED lights attached. See all our stories about their work here.

See all our stories about lighting here.

Photos are by Gustavo Sanabria.

The information below is from Luzinterruptus:

The installation Radioactive Control was created for the Dockville Festival in de Hamburg which tried to demonstrate, in a humorous tone, the paranoia that we are suffering from since the escape of radioactive material in Japan, has brought into question the safety systems at the nuclear power plants.

With our mysterious army of 100 illuminated radioactive figures, which advanced threateningly on the natural environment of the festival, we wanted to invite reflection regarding the use and abuse of nuclear energy, cheap in economic terms, but which can cause grave secondary effects for the environment and health, forever irreversible.

Germany has been the first developed country to announce the total abandonment of nuclear energy by 2022, we know that this was not an altruistic decision and has a lot to do with the creation of new and innovative industries, which will make them pioneers in the market.

But just in case they change their minds, we already know that what politicians legislate today, they change tomorrow with impunity, we wanted to simulate, for the festival, a life under the constant threat of nuclear accidents.

Thanks to the people of the Dockville organization for their help and support in putting together the installation and their hospitality during our stay and to all the volunteers who donated their time and abilities so that in the end our army stayed afoot, with a military air, for the month that the festival lasted.

Time of installation: 6 days.

Damages: none.

Exhibition time: 30 days.

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