After watching The Atomic Artists, three major things stood out to me:
In the beginning of the video, the narrator describes “The Myth of Tomorrow” by Taro Okamoto. He makes note that no one is stopping to look at it. Does this phenomena symbolize the Japanese attitude towards nuclear warfare? Is it something that society brushes under the rug and forgets about?
The Fukushima region has been suffering from high radiation levels since the 2011 tsunami. Because of these high radiation levels, people have been forced out of their homes and towns. The mayor of one of the local towns argues that Japan must question the lifestyles they are used to and how they could be disrupted by nuclear weapons.
Chim Pom was not originally meant to combat nuclear issues with their art. They were originally inspired by Jackass. However, their interest in social issues led them to take on more and more controversial subjects, like the ramifications of war, violence and nuclear weapons.