2012

The Most Electrified Town in Finland

January 1, 1970

 Eurajoki, a small town of 6,000 inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, is building what has been described as the world’s most efficient nuclear reactor, Olkiluoto 3. There are already two nuclear reactors in Eurajoki, both dating back to the 1970s, OL1 and OL2.

The new OL3 plant was supposed to be up and running by May 2009, but the project ran into serious delays. The official estimated opening date is late 2016 – at the very earliest.

The piece juxtaposes industrial construction scenes with images of the changing rural landscape and experts performing various radiation measurements. The title borrows the slogan used by the town to proudly promote itself. The local residents have adapted to the invisible stress inflicted by their nuclear neighbour. (MT / translation: Silja Kudel)

The installation is based on Return of the Atom, a feature documentary by Mika Taanila and Jussi Eerola (work in progress).

Cinematography: Jussi Eerola, Sound Design: Olli Huhtanen, Music: Pan sonic, Production: Kinotar

exhibitions:

  • The World Began without Human Race and It Will End Without, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan, 2021-2022
  • The End, STUK, Leuven, Belgium, 2018
  • Systemics #3: Against the idea of growth, towards poetry (or, how to build a universe that doesn’t fall apart two days later), Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark, 2014
  • Aikakoneita – Time Machines, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, 2013
  • Aichi Triennale, Nagoya, Japan, 2013
  • Tomorrow’s New Dawn, Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, USA, 2013
  • The Most Electrified Town in Finland, TENT, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2013
  • dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany, 2012