Public information dissemination activities

Mechanism

Public information dissemination activities

Approach

Culture, Education and Art

This element generically refers to the dissemination of information on nuclear energy, ionising radiation,

Definition/description

RWM and related topics through a large variety of media, including exhibitions, publications (from

historical and scientific works to comics), websites, information sessions, documentary films and other

media, directed at the general public.

How does this

A large variety of information is available on nuclear energy, ionising radiation and RWM, disseminated

via various media (from leaflets to reports to online interviews to documentaries), from various sources

mechanism contribute

(from nuclear lobby to protest groups to open source platforms). Information centres dedicated to

to RK&M preservation/

radioactivity and/or RWM are often part of radioactive waste disposal projects, then constituting a

How can it be

particular information dissemination activity that links knowledge to the site and supports memory of

implemented?

the disposal facility.

Does the mechanism mainly preserve information, records, knowledge, memory, or awareness?

Information:

Records:

Knowledge: X

Memory:

Awareness:

Public information dissemination activities mainly target the preservation of knowledge about RWM and

specific disposal projects for the general public. Information is shared and thereby preserved to a certain,

limited degree. Memory of disposal activities may also be supported.

What is the level of detail addressed/provided by the mechanism?

Low level of detail: X

High level of detail:

Scope

Compared with expert knowledge, the level of detail addressed here is low.

What is the main geographical or administrative-political scope

(development/implementation/operation) of the mechanism? On which scale does the mechanism

notably enable RK&M preservation?

[Note also the field “International dimension” further below.]

Local: X

Regional: X

National: X

International:

Virtual:

Public information dissemination activities may foster RK&M preservation on the local, regional or

national level. Also the organisation of these activities may come from the local, regional or national

level.

Which timescale(s) is this mechanism mainly aimed at (target timescale)?

Long term:

Medium term:

Short term: X

Very short term: X

Information dissemination activities are expected to be organised mainly during the (pre-)operational

phase. They may continue in the post-closure phase.

When should this mechanism be implemented? This may or may not be equal to the target timescale.

Timescales

Pre-operational: X

Operational: X

Pre-closure:

Post-closure:

For information dissemination activities, the implementation timescale is equal to the target timescale.

When should this mechanism be developed? This may or may not be equal to the implementation

timescale.

Done: X

Pre-operational:

Operational:

Pre-closure:

Post-closure:

Public information dissemination activities, as concepts, readily exist. The conceptualisation and

planning of individual events can be considered part of their implementation.

Should the mechanism be implemented intentionally (e.g. time capsules) or is its emergence largely

unintentional (e.g. surface traces) or can it not be fully controlled (e.g. art work)?

Intentional: X

Unintentional:

Cannot be controlled:

Organisations formally involved in RWM may organise public information dissemination activities

according to a pre-defined information policy that may take RK&M preservation considerations into

account. Additionally, other players may use this mechanism according to the topical matters of the

moment.

Characteristics

Is the mechanism mainly tangible or intangible?

Tangible: X

Intangible: X

Information is intangible, but supported by tangible carriers, such as exhibitions, brochures, etc. Either of

these may be actively disseminated.

Does the mechanism mainly rely on mediated transmission or non-mediated transmission?

Mediated transmission: X

Non-mediated transmission:

Public information dissemination activities are a form of mediated transmission.

Information dissemination activities can be performed under the responsibility of many different actors:

the regulator and implementing agency at the time of repository siting, construction and operation,

Actors

local/regional/national government, local information committees, other public/private organisations at

the local, regional and national level. Information will also be disseminated by actors without a “formal”

responsibility, such as documentary makers, protest groups, journalists, workers, researchers, etc.

PRESERVATION OF RK&M ACROSS GENERATIONS: FINAL REPORT OF THE RK&M INITIATIVE, NEA No. 7421, © OECD 2019

143

Mechanism

Public information dissemination activities

All types of dissemination activities that raise the level of awareness and understanding about RWM in

Main

general and disposal projects in particular support RK&M transfer and preservation.

Different information dissemination media have different strengths with regard to their scope, impact

strengths/benefits

and longevity. E.g. governmental and scientific publications have the potential to remain accessible over

many decades, while videos posted on social media have the potential to reach large groups of people.

Information must be collected and presented in a way that is appropriate and understandable for the

public, and opinions on appropriateness and understandability vary. Technocracy and expertocracy are

Specific

a challenge, as is polarisation (although for the sake of awareness alone, polarisation might be seen as a

benefit).

issues/challenges

Particular care must be taken to use media and formats that are attractive to young people.

The need for simplification may not be compatible with the dissemination of information on complex

technical issues.

International

Internet, films, documentaries, international publications, open source media, etc. have international

dimension

outreach.

Dedicated repository records: KIF

Connection to other

Culture, education and art: alternative reuse of the disposal site/infrastructure; education, research and

approaches/

training; art

mechanisms

Regulatory framework: e.g. regulations related to the right to access to environmental information

Memory institutions: libraries.

Information resources

issued by the RK&M

—

initiative

Other information

Stilgoe, J. & Lock, S. (2014). Why should we promote public engagement with science? Public

resources

Understanding of Science, 23(1), pp. 4 – 15.

• Exhibition "De Homer à Oppenheimer", Palais de la Découverte, Paris, 03.12.2013–08.06.2014

www.palais-decouverte.fr/fr/ressources/expositions-passees/la-radioactivite-de-homer-a-

oppenheimer-exposition-terminee/

• Hadermann J.; Issler H.; Zurkinden A. (2014): Die nukleare Entsorgung in der Schweiz 1945-2006. Von

Examples

den Anfängen bis zum Entsorgungsnachweis [Nuclear waste management in Switzerland: From the

beginnings to the demonstration of disposal feasibility]. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung NZZ, Zürich (in

German)

• The Belgian implementing agency NIRAS/ONDRAF publishes a biannual magazine for the broad

public and triannual newspaper distributed in the region of the central interim storage facilities.

www.niras.be/general-publications

Mechanism

Art

Approach

Culture, Education and Art

This broad mechanism includes public art, visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, video,

Definition/description

filmmaking, internet art), socially engaged art, design, craft, architecture, music, performing arts (dance,

theatre) and literature inspired by nuclear (waste) culture.

The nuclear field has been a source of inspiration for many artists, producing artworks exhibited in public

space, museums, preserved in public collections and documented in publications. Art can support RK&M

preservation as it can help and stimulate the exploration of speculative futures and the visualisation of

the immaterial and invisible (see Carpenter, 2016 and NEA, 2015, pp. 110-136).

How does this

Works of art may be commissioned to respond to a particular nuclear site, to engage a local community,

mechanism contribute

make public nuclear archives, facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue or convey a particular message. As

to RK&M preservation/

such, art may relay cultural knowledge, information or awareness from one generation to another or aim

How can it be

to communicate directly to the future.

implemented?

Art competitions can be a useful tool to collect new ideas and provide multiple perspectives on RK&M

preservation and RWM. If the proposals are published and archived and the artworks executed and

preserved, they also contribute directly to RK&M preservation.

A “Percent for Art” scheme can be implemented, where from the start of the project some percentage of

the project cost is set aside to fund and install public art.

Does the mechanism mainly preserve information, records, knowledge, memory, or awareness?

Scope

Information:

Records:

Knowledge:

Memory: X

Awareness: X

Art contributes to preserving memory and awareness. It also aims to preserve cultural knowledge related

to the repository and RWM in general. Artworks themselves, when kept with the appropriate context,

can be seen as a record.

144

PRESERVATION OF RK&M ACROSS GENERATIONS: FINAL REPORT OF THE RK&M INITIATIVE, NEA No. 7421, © OECD 2019

DESCRIPTIONS OF RK&M PRESERVATION MECHANISMS

Mechanism

Art

What is the level of detail addressed/provided by the mechanism?

Low level of detail: X

High level of detail:

With respect to radioactivity and radioactive waste disposal, art would normally be expected to transmit

messages with low levels of detail.

What is the main geographical or administrative-political scope

Scope

(development/implementation/operation) of the mechanism? On which scale does the mechanism

notably enable RK&M preservation?

[Note also the field “International dimension” further below.]

Local:

Regional: X

National: X

International: X

Virtual: X

If not connected to a building or monument (cf. the respective mechanisms), art is most often not

connected to a site, but could be displayed, performed, etc. at various places. In this sense, art works on a

national, international and virtual scale. Museums with permanent exhibitions may have a regional (or

even national) influence.

Which timescale(s) is this mechanism mainly aimed at (target timescale)?

Long term:

Medium term: X

Short term: X

Very short term:

Although the focus of art is on the timescale of decades or centuries, it can also address RK&M creation

and transfer in the very short term, and its influence may extend to the long term.

When should this mechanism be implemented? This may or may not be equal to the target timescale.

Pre-operational:

Operational: X

Pre-closure: X

Post-closure:

Timescales

The making of individual pieces of art in the repository context may peak in the operational phase.

Preliminary work for RK&M preservation purposes, supported before the repository is operated, may be

considered as part of the concept development (see hereunder).

When should this mechanism be developed? This may or may not be equal to the implementation

timescale.

Done: X

Pre-operational: X

Operational: X

Pre-closure:

Post-closure:

The concept of Art as a means to foster knowledge and memory already exists. But as a component of a

strategy it may still be further developed. The making of individual pieces of art is considered here as

implementation (see above).

Should the mechanism be implemented intentionally (e.g. time capsules) or is its emergence largely

unintentional (e.g. surface traces) or can it not be fully controlled (e.g. art work)?

Intentional: X

Unintentional:

Cannot be controlled: X

As an intentional RK&M preservation mechanism, works of art may be commissioned, art competitions

can be organised and a “Percent for Art” scheme can be implemented. Apart from that, it cannot be

controlled.

Is the mechanism mainly tangible or intangible?

Characteristics

Tangible: X

Intangible: X

This mechanism covers both tangible (e.g. visual arts, literature) and intangible (e.g. performance art,

dance) art.

Does the mechanism mainly rely on mediated transmission or non-mediated transmission?

Mediated transmission: X

Non-mediated transmission: X

Art may operate as mediated transmission relaying cultural knowledge, information or awareness from one

generation to another; or as non-mediated transmission producing cultural artefacts and public artworks

(e.g. in the form of markers) which intend to communicate a message directly to a future audience.

Actors

Works of art may be commissioned from artists and artist collectives, e.g. by the implementing agency, a

museum, public arts organisation, local community or heritage organisation, at a local, regional, national

and international level. A dedicated, interand transdisciplinary committee could be set up.

Visual arts are a powerful means for mediation with the public. They can help expand awareness of

radioactive waste issues to a large public, and may act as an introduction or a pointer to more specific

information.

Depending on the type of artwork and media, visual art may document changing perceptions of RWM

and bring together academic research and professional knowledge from different disciplines and

Main

industrial sectors, engaging diverse parts of the population over many years.

Non-linguistic communication avoids the drawbacks associated with languages (translation,

strengths/benefits

obsolescence, etc.), has the potential to deliver complex ideas and messages, and include archive and

documentary material.

Contemporary visual art is concerned with critical awareness of visual culture, landscape, architecture

exploring conceptual and invisible concerns such as radiation and geological disposal.

Artists are also experimenting with durable sustainable formats such as distributed online networks,

microfiche, land-art, gesso and stone carving.

Specific

Very often, the primary purpose of art is neither to last nor to inform, and artistic freedom is highly valued.

Art with the dedicated goal of RK&M preservation should thus preferably be specifically commissioned in

issues/challenges

partnership with art museums and agencies.

PRESERVATION OF RK&M ACROSS GENERATIONS: FINAL REPORT OF THE RK&M INITIATIVE, NEA No. 7421, © OECD 2019

145

Mechanism

Art

The level of public engagement, and the message delivered, may vary greatly, and their impact may be

experienced many years after production.

When the work of art is created to convey a specific message, this message can be very basic (“Danger!”) or

very complex, such as “the psychic haunting” of radiation. As non-verbal communication is typically vague

and imprecise, it allows multiple readings and cannot be completely culture-independent.

Specific

Art works relying on verbal communication, such as films, poetry or novels, may not be understood after a

certain period of time.

issues/challenges

Works of art placed in the public space serve an aesthetic and symbolic function. They are typically subject

to the opinion of the public and may be removed if they no longer correspond to the prevailing taste. They

may also become political symbols and be destroyed for that reason.

The media, materials and processes used in visual arts have a direct impact on their longevity. For some

types of works, such as films, videos or computer art, specific equipment or software is necessary, and needs

to be preserved to support the artwork.

International

Art is typically able to deliver messages to an international audience. Various international art platforms exist

dimension

(e.g. international art festivals).

Connection to other

Memory Institutions: Museums

Culture, Education and Art: Industrial Heritage; Alternative Reuse of the Disposal Site/Infrastructure;

approaches/

Intangible cultural heritage

mechanisms

Markers

• NEA (2015), Radioactive Waste Management and Constructing Memory for Future Generations. Proceedings

of the International Conference and Debate, 15-17 September, 2014, Verdun, France. Part III: Contributions

Information resources

from Artists and Posters. pp. 109-136. OECD, Paris.

• H. Codée & E. Verhoef, Using art, stories and cultural heritage to preserve knowledge and memory. In: NEA

issued by the RK&M

(2015), Radioactive Waste Management and Constructing Memory for Future Generations: Proceedings of the

initiative

International Conference and Debate - 15-17 September 2014, Verdun, France, p. 55 (explaining how, in the

Netherlands, COVRA collaborates with regional museums by acting as a storage facility for collections

that are not on display), OECD, Paris.

• Anderson, K. (2005), Designing for deep time: how art history is used to mark nuclear waste. A thesis

submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Theory, Criticism

and History of Art, Design and Architecture within the joint degree M.S./M.F.A. program School of Art and

Other information

•

Design Pratt Institute October 2005. www.kellianderson.com/MSthesis.pdf

resources

http://nuclear.artscatalyst.org/

• Carpenter, E. (Ed.) (2016). The Nuclear Culture Source Book. Black Dog Publishing, London.

• Graham, N., Zook, K., Wilkinson, J., Pietrzak, A. (2018). Nuclear, Landmarker for a Waste Isolation Site:

International Architecture Competition. WM2018 Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

• Markers designed for WIPP (Landscape of Thorns, Menacing earthworks, Spike field, etc.)

www.wipp.energy.gov/picsprog/articles/wipp exhibit message to 12,000 a_d.htm

• Andra’s programme on visual arts e.g. www.andra.fr/memoire-et-art/reglement_appel.pdf

•

www.cecilemassart.com/

• Films such as “Into Eternity”, “Containment”, “Journey to the safest place on earth”

• Erich Berger and Mari Keto, “Inheritance” http://inheritance-project.net/

• Thomson & Craighead, “Temporary Index”. This project is about creating a series of real-time numeric

counters expressing radioactive decay. Each display will countdown in seconds, showing the time

remaining before the given item of waste or a particular site is considered to be safe. As a first step, data

projections have been displayed in art galleries. The next step will be to establish a network of these

counters online, which can later be attached to places such as Google Earth. Ultimately, possibilities of

building semi-permanent physical counters in the places referred to will be investigated, with a view to

making them self (solar) powered. See www.thomson-craighead.net/temporary_index.html

• Nuclear Culture project: http://nuclear.artscatalyst.org/

Examples

• The Center for Land Use Interpretation: www.clui.org/

• Schemes such as Percent for Art: 1% of the total project costs are allocated to the development of public

artwork. The advantage of this scheme is that the real costs of artwork are accounted for at the very start

of the project, rather than as an additional afterthought. This model could be very valuable for ensuring

RK&M is implemented from the start.

• Various works held in collections of Contemporary Art: Tate Gallery, UK; Museum of Modern Art, New

York; Living Art Museum, Iceland.

Examples of long-term art projects outside of the RWM field

• The Long Now Foundation, established in 1996 to develop the 10,000 Year Clock and Library projects,

including a “Rosetta disk” (a nickel disk micro-etched with information in thousands of languages), as well

as to become the seed of a very long-term cultural institution. The Long Now Foundation hopes to

provide a counterpoint to today's accelerating culture and help make long-term thinking more common.

http://longnow.org/

• Jem Finer, Long Player, London. A 1000 yearlong composition, started in 1999, scheduled to end in 2999.

https://longplayer.org/

• Organ/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible). www.aslsp.org/de/

146

PRESERVATION OF RK&M ACROSS GENERATIONS: FINAL REPORT OF THE RK&M INITIATIVE, NEA No. 7421, © OECD 2019