Out of the shadow: A collaborative arts performance for the black rain hibakusha

• Published in: Journal of applied arts & health Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 175 - 189
• Main Author: Kasai, Aya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol Intellect, Ltd 01.10.2016
• Subjects: Activism; Dance-Movement Therapy; Nuclear weapons; Reception history; Trauma; War; Hiroshima, Japan
• DOI: 10.1386/jaah.7.2.175_1
• ISSN: 2040-2457

In July of 2015, a group of undesignated hibakusha - survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima - gathered to prepare for a class-action lawsuit against the Japanese government. Having suffered for decades from the debilitating effects of radioactive fallout, these hibakusha sought official recognition of their hardship and an end to their exclusion from the support measures granted to survivors who had lived closer to the bomb's hypocentre. Their plight, as well as the continued failure of the government to recognize and address their suffering, provided the impetus for our group to co-create and host an art performance for and in support of all undesignated hibakusha. This article documents our process of participatory arts research and performance - as well as the audience and hibakusha response - while suggesting how applied arts and activism can unite in the face of institutional discrimination, civic prejudice and discursive erasure.