Fukushima Water: the fictitious energy drink goes on sale
A group of Berlin art directors promotes fake energy drink sourced from the Japanese nuclear site to highlight ongoing water contamination problem.
A high energy drink sourced straight from the Fukushima site. It sounds absurd and it is. But for the three Berlin art directors behind a new digital campaign this fictitious drink also raises an important issue: Four years on from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, contaminated water - being used to cool the plant - is still leaking into the Pacific Ocean.
“We were blown away by how weird it was that contaminated water is still being poured into the Pacific Ocean and that people have no idea,” says Kenzi Benabdallah, one of the trio of friends behind the campaign.
“The water needs to be stored because it’s highly contaminated,” says fellow collaborator Stefan Wittemann, “but [the tanks used to store the water] are leaking and water is running into the ocean. The exact numbers are very hard to get because the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) will not tell you anything and Greenpeace will tell you a super-high number. “
In a bid to raise awareness of the ongoing contamination crisis, the three friends Stefan, Kenzi and Florian Tscharf have created a fictitious website and commercial about a glow-in-the-dark mineral water sourced from the site: Fukushima Water.
“We are accessing something that has slipped from the primary consciousness of the media and are repackaging it so when you watch the parody documentary, the gravity of the Fukushima catastrophe comes straight back to mind,” says Kenzi.
The ambition is to pressure those involved into making more information, such as about the leaking contaminated water, publicly available, says Kenzi. “The best way to force change is through social media. Expose the company and force them to share with the public what is going on.”
Despite the sensitive nature of the issue and the fine line everyone walks when using satire to communicate a delicate situation, the pair say the Japanese response has been very positive.
“Everyone wants to start a discussion, mainly about the companies’ lack of transparency. This is something that concerns everyone, especially in Japan,” says Kenzi.
A high energy drink sourced straight from the Fukushima site. It sounds absurd and it is. But for the three Berlin art directors behind a new digital campaign this fictitious drink also raises an important issue: Four years on from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, contaminated water - being used to cool the plant - is still leaking into the Pacific Ocean.
“We were blown away by how weird it was that contaminated water is still being poured into the Pacific Ocean and that people have no idea,” says Kenzi Benabdallah, one of the trio of friends behind the campaign.
“The water needs to be stored because it’s highly contaminated,” says fellow collaborator Stefan Wittemann, “but [the tanks used to store the water] are leaking and water is running into the ocean. The exact numbers are very hard to get because the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) will not tell you anything and Greenpeace will tell you a super-high number. “
In a bid to raise awareness of the ongoing contamination crisis, the three friends Stefan, Kenzi and Florian Tscharf have created a fictitious website and commercial about a glow-in-the-dark mineral water sourced from the site: Fukushima Water.
“We are accessing something that has slipped from the primary consciousness of the media and are repackaging it so when you watch the parody documentary, the gravity of the Fukushima catastrophe comes straight back to mind,” says Kenzi.
The ambition is to pressure those involved into making more information, such as about the leaking contaminated water, publicly available, says Kenzi. “The best way to force change is through social media. Expose the company and force them to share with the public what is going on.”
Despite the sensitive nature of the issue and the fine line everyone walks when using satire to communicate a delicate situation, the pair say the Japanese response has been very positive.
“Everyone wants to start a discussion, mainly about the companies’ lack of transparency. This is something that concerns everyone, especially in Japan,” says Kenzi.
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