ruthdusseault.com
Created in post-war Japan (1952), the character of Astroboy was originally meant to provide accessible commentary on the ethical use of technology in the nuclear age. Set in the year 2000, this narrative includes 20th century projections, such as genetically modified food and life forms. The present-day background imagery matches the historic cartoon with the kind of visual comparisons made by a child at play. The entire piece is filmed in a single take inside a junkyard located on the historic WWII Wendover airfield in Utah - launch site of Enola Gay nuclear mission. While pondering the role of science yesterday and today, one senses the battlefield shifting to environmental issues. Like paintball field designers, the debris of the consumer age is used to construct a war fantasy.