The Scoriae of the Bomb

The Scoriae of the Bomb is an investigative project based on collaborative and non-Westernized archival practices, aiming to unveil the violence of the French nuclear colonialism, and to give visibility to the victims’ urgent need for social justice. 
From 1960 to 1966, the French government conducted a series of 17 atomic explosions in the Algerian Sahara, a secret military program that left irreversible aftermaths in the land and in the local population’s bodies for thousands of years. Built from the victims’ voice, this research results several outcomes, that all propose alternative narratives challenging the French dominant one. 

The copper fountain presented here works as a memorial object, inspired by Susan Schuppli’s concept of “material witness”. This highly conductive and valuable metal was massively used by the French army for underground electric wiring, then abandoned when they left. As Saharan people was unaware of the toxicity of this copper, they recovered it in order to sell it and make everyday objects out of it, spreading the radioactivity all over North Africa. 
In Algerian Sahara’s soil, two other materials that compose this fountain are also vectors of contamination: sand and water, which still suffer from the consequences of French radioactive waste and fallout. While the water is physically present, sand was used as an engraving tool for the expensive radioactive pattern, evoking the lasting amplification of the toxicity. 

As a social designer, Sophie Chalmin is actively involved in addressing issues of reparation, remembrance and visibility for victims of various systems of domination, using both collaborative and archival methodologies. Her background in fine arts and textile design has taught her a special relationship with materials and objects, which she always uses as witnesses to the stories resulting from her research, enabling her to emphasize the importance of interactive and eco-systemic mechanisms.