Schäpers, Veronika: The Islands of Eternal Life / 多和田葉子: 不死の島 In her dystopian short story “不死のしま/ The Island of Eternal Life” (2012), Yoko Tawada describes a country ravaged by disasters and cut off from the outside world, which can easily be identified as Japan. For me, March 11, 2011, is the starting point for my work with the text. At the time, I was living in Tokyo. Three photos from the extra sheets I collected during those days are the creative starting point for my book; each page of text alternates with a gray-overprinted excerpt from the other two photos, on which the name of one of the twenty Japanese nuclear power plants is additionally printed in black. The corresponding geodata can be found on the opposite page of the text and can be made visible under the light of a UV lamp included with the book. The text page also glows slightly, playing with the association of radioactivity. The book is stored in an aluminum-coated fireproof “bousaizukin,” a pillow-like hood for children designed to protect them from injury in the event of an earthquake. These padded hoods are an integral part of disaster preparedness and hang on the chair of every elementary school child. translated by Margaret Mitsutani, engl./jap., Offset and letterpress printing from polymer plates, fluorescent security ink, Hand-sewn “bousaizukin” - Japanese head protection for children, 42p, 6,1 x 15,35 inch, Ed. of 35 + 6 e.a., num., sign., Karlsruhe, 2024 Request of availability backnext