A Body in Fukushima is a film created by Eiko Otake to be screened either with or without a photo exhibiion and/or Eiko’s live performance. The film was crafted from hundreds of photographs, taken by William Johnston, of Eiko Otake in the surreal, irradiated landscapes of post-nuclear meltdown Fukushima, Japan.
A Body in Fukushima is a film created by Eiko Otake to be screened either with or without a photo exhibiion and/or Eiko’s live performance. The film was crafted from hundreds of photographs, taken by William Johnston, of Eiko Otake in the surreal, irradiated landscapes of post-nuclear meltdown Fukushima, Japan.
Eiko traveled five times to evacuated, desolate Fukushima since the triple disaster—earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown—of 2011. From her second trip forward, she was accompanied by photographer Johnston (also a professor of Japanese history and public health) who documented her body in places of nuclear contamination.
This two and a half hour film is an assemblage of photographs (culled from nearly 25,000 images), spare inter-titles (written by Eiko and composed of facts, statistics, and personal reflections), accompanied by an original score (created by Eiko of found and recorded natural and unnatural sounds).
The film is so far comprised of four sections: January 2014, July 2014, August 2016, June 2017. Throughout, Eiko is in constant dialogue with a post-apocalyptic environment—seas rage, 1-ton bags of contaminated soil stand like soldiers unmoved, irradiated ancient burial grounds provide shelter but contain danger—as she navigates a changing terrain over three years. The series of costumes add a distinctive color palate to the environment. A large swath of red cloth, sewn from the lining of her grandmother’s kimono, accompanies her on her trek and becomes tattered. Superficial attempts at decontamination and normalization are made by workers lacking appropriate protective gear.
Eiko Otake and William Johnston have co-taught courses on nuclear and environmental issues at Wesleyan University focused on ideas of “the body,” both human and environmental, as a foundation for inquiry. A Body in Fukushima is a testament to their empathy for the environment and a comment on the dangers of human heedlessness in the natural world.
In addition, various parts of A Body in Fukushima was screened in Brussel, Belgium, Hong Kong, Australia, Frankfurt, Germany, Philadelphia Fukushima, Japan, Martha’s Vineyard, Durham, NC, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and the University of Toronto.
The world premiere screening of A Body in Fukushima took place at the Cloud Gate Theater in Taipei, Taiwan on August 10 and 11, 2019. Eiko also performed a version of A Body in Places following the intermission, using the theater as a « place ».
The film is available in English, Chinese, and Japanese. For those interested in previewing all, please send inquiries to info@eikoandkoma.org.