What will it involve?

This Ideas Exchange will commemorate the 3/11 Fukushima disaster with a UK premiere of The Invisible Island by Keïko Courdy. The Invisible Island explores themes of memory, resilience, and the ongoing struggles of those living with the legacy of Fukushima. The film sensitively portrays the residents and decontamination workers who continue to grapple with the aftermath of the disaster.

The research team will also provide an interdisciplinary platform to reflect on how religious and artistic practices contribute to building community resilience and shaping responses to crises through a workshop exploring resilience, recovery, and the role of art in community healing. The workshop will foster new collaborations between academics and artists, expanding our understanding of the cultural, social, and environmental impacts of disasters. By engaging anthropologists, art historians, sociologists, media scholars, religious studies experts, and artists who have documented or researched the triple disaster, the workshop will offer a truly interdisciplinary platform to reflect on how art and religious practices can shape resilience. The workshop will be produced with Japanese photographer Hatakeyama Naoya. Hatakeyama Naoya’s work documenting the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster has earned international acclaim, offers a vital perspective for our examination of how art helps process trauma and memorialise recovery. His celebrated series Rikuzentakata captures both the devastation of his hometown by the 2011 tsunami and its slow recovery, providing an intimate lens through which global audiences can engage with themes of resilience and memory. documenting the intersection of humanity and nature, which culminates in a poetic exploration of urban life and disaster. Rikuzentakata, which documents the devastation of his hometown following the 2011 tsunami, powerfully reflects on themes of loss, resilience, and recovery.

Workshop participants will co-design a collaborative exhibition that will present a dynamic and interactive reflection on resilience, memory, and recovery. It will feature audio and visual works created during the workshop, alongside contributions from the participating artists.

This project team aims to establish a robust network that bridges academic research and creative practice, laying the foundation for future collaborations that explore how art, religion, and technology intersect in times of crisis.

Find out more: The Art of Recovery blog

Who are the team and what do they bring?

• Benedetta Lomi (Department of Religion and Theology, University of Bristol)
• Keiko Courdy (Filmmaker),
• Rayna Denison (Film and Digital Arts, University of Bristol)
• Erica Baffelli (University of Manchester),
• Elise Domenach (Film Studies, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon)
• Tim Graf (University of Manchester),
• Levi McLaughlin (Religious Studies, North Carolina State University)
• Clélia Zernik (PSL Université de Paris).