(Re)Placing Chernobyl

Press/Media: Expert comment

Description

(Re)Placing Chernobyl will examine the popular HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” (2019) to explore the politics of aesthetics, how TV mediates ideas about scientific expertise, and the wide-ranging impacts of this cultural representation of the disaster. Ideas that have been made all the more relevant in light of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic where questions of public trust in science and the role of scientific experts in governance have returned to the forefront.

The discussion roundtable will gather prominent scholars, artists and cultural producers to unpack the complexities that emerged in process of staging the Chernobyl disaster in the twenty first century. How could one explain the unexpected popularity of the series? What kinds of historical narratives informed the miniseries and what stories were left out? Can “Chernobyl” help us understand the issues that the nuclear industry is facing today?

The discussion will also explore the social, political and cultural consequences of the “Chernobyl” miniseries. A major source of inspiration for the discussion was VIlnius itself – the city where most of the Emmy-winning series came to life, not without the help of local artists and creatives. So, while nuclear tourism is booming in Ukraine, the real-life place of the disaster, the Lithuanian filming locations, where the ex-soviet Ignalina nuclear power plant "performed" the Chernobyl disaster and districts of Vilnius stood in for Pripyat, are quickly catching up. Does nuclear cultural heritage and nuclear tourism enhance public awareness and should they be promoted? Is there a risk of displacing the actual consequences of the catastrophe with captivating cultural imagery? In all, the discussion will seek to explore the relationship between culture, imagination, science and how these shape the legacy of Chernobyl.

Period14 May 2020

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • Title(Re)Placing Chernobyl
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/Size2 hours
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date14/05/20
    Description(Re)Placing Chernobyl will examine the popular HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” (2019) to explore the politics of aesthetics, how TV mediates ideas about scientific expertise, and the wide-ranging impacts of this cultural representation of the disaster. Ideas that have been made all the more relevant in light of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic where questions of public trust in science and the role of scientific experts in governance have returned to the forefront.

    The discussion roundtable will gather prominent scholars, artists and cultural producers to unpack the complexities that emerged in process of staging the Chernobyl disaster in the twenty first century. How could one explain the unexpected popularity of the series? What kinds of historical narratives informed the miniseries and what stories were left out? Can “Chernobyl” help us understand the issues that the nuclear industry is facing today?

    The discussion will also explore the social, political and cultural consequences of the “Chernobyl” miniseries. A major source of inspiration for the discussion was VIlnius itself – the city where most of the Emmy-winning series came to life, not without the help of local artists and creatives. So, while nuclear tourism is booming in Ukraine, the real-life place of the disaster, the Lithuanian filming locations, where the ex-soviet Ignalina nuclear power plant "performed" the Chernobyl disaster and districts of Vilnius stood in for Pripyat, are quickly catching up. Does nuclear cultural heritage and nuclear tourism enhance public awareness and should they be promoted? Is there a risk of displacing the actual consequences of the catastrophe with captivating cultural imagery? In all, the discussion will seek to explore the relationship between culture, imagination, science and how these shape the legacy of Chernobyl.
    Producer/AuthorThis Is Tomorrow
    URLhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itn0-OhzSBg&feature=youtu.be
    PersonsSimon Watson