Fata Morgana

Fata Morgana was made to coincide with the shutdown of last nuclear power station in Wales, Wylfa A, exploring the site’s physical, political and cultural contexts.

Wylfa’s relationship with the land and seascapes is central to the work; digital interventions in the footage shot at the site explore the utopian mythology that surrounded the birth of the nuclear energy industry.

The work investigates parallels between the fundamental invisibility of the nuclear fission process alongside the more visible cultural and political messages woven around the industry. He uses atmospheric optical phenomena as a metaphor for these often contradictory aspects of nuclear power. The site is envisioned as a Fata Morgana, a complex form of mirage that is seen in a narrow band above the horizon. This parallels the processes of transmutation and transformation inherent in nuclear fission, and the elusiveness of the truths surrounding it.

Author: 2K video
Duration: 6′ 35″
Year of production: 2015