Fathi – Anecdotal

In our collective unconscious the nuclear age is synonymous with the explosion of two atom bombs. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But since 1945 more than 2000 nuclear bombs have been detonated on Earth. For fear of being attacked by foreign nations, nuclear power countries have instead methodically bombed their own lands.
Self mutilation in the name of self defense.

This series’ starting point is the unfamiliar stories and anecdotes around nuclear armament and testing programs. Archival photos, satellite imagery, packshots and road-trip photos are mixed recontextualize a history wavering between horrific investigation and absurd farce.

All that is documented here is true, but seems to be from a work of bad fiction. These are the stories of contaminated ministers, bombs lost and never found, the invention of the bikini, the struggles between colonial powers and local populations, and even vaporized chickens.

Illustrating and playing around with these unfamiliar narratives shines a new light on the dissonance between the world we believe we live in and the one we have actually built.