Artists in Chernobyl ? What is Tchernobserv about ?
The ''Brut de Béton '' Company and its director Bruno Boussagol (inspired by Svetlana Alexievitch) have initiated a French-speaking artistic presence in the Chernobyl area, especially in 2006 with the ''Diagonale de Tchernobyl'', a journey across Europe and a one-month stay in the surroundings of Krasiatichi.
In 2007, Morgan Touzé and Pascal Rueff started a series of artist-in-residence programs, a scheme under the name of Tchernobserv. The idea is straightforward enough : you experiment living in a contaminated territory, then give feedback using your own craft.
The following artists took part in the project (in alphabetical order):
- Cathy Blisson, journalist and author, Zvizdal
- Sébastien Bocquet, artist
- Julien Borel, videographer
- Gildas Chasseboeuf, illustrator, Les fleurs de Tchernobyl
- Antoine Choplin, writer, La nuit tombée
- Elena Costelian, visual artist
- Arnaud Gautron, painter
- Jean Gaumy, photographer, Tchernobyl
- Patricia Le Calvez, photographer
- Azeline Legendre, dancer
- Emmanuel Lepage, comics artist, Un printemps à Tchernobyl
- Brice Maire, photographer, Zone contaminée
- Caroline Melon, author
- Philippe Ollivier, musician, Malenki Minki
- Pascal Rueff, poet, S’exposer, Rudnia 2.0, Mort de rien, L’île de T., L’examen Moyak
- Christophe Ruetsch, composer, Atomic Radio 137
- Morgan Touzé, singer, A l’est de soi
A glimpse at some of the ensuing art works : Radio-Tchernobyl
Our experience of the region is therefore based on our many trips to the southwest area surrounding Chernobyl.
