Matter is a video art piece that explores the themes of remoteness and the impact of human actions on the environment. To a western observer, the remoteness of the Bikini Atoll (located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean) and of Yozgat (located in central Anatolia) seems to induce feelings of boredom, irresponsibility, and a kind of romance triggered by the "exotic." The film project Matter shows the protagonist bringing a coconut from the contaminated Bikini Atoll to an area near Yozgat that will soon become a uranium mining area. The ritual of relocating the coconut as an artifact of the nuclear testing disaster at the Bikini Atoll to a place that will soon source new material for further nuclear experiments creates a metaphorical and physical connection. The remoteness of both places and the bizarreness of the object and the ritual highlight the individuals limits when facing the possible consequences of the Anthropocenic age.



#videoart #environmentalimpact #nuclear #bikiniatoll #yozgat #uraniummining #anthropocenicage #remoteness #artifact #ritual #consequences #Dicle Naz Tohumcu