McDonalds Constructionsign
On april, the 22th (4 days before the 22th anniversary of the disaster) i drove together with Rainer Macher to Chernobyl, Ukraine, to place an faked but original looking Construction Sign in front of the gates to this historical area. Its declaring the opening of a new restaurant of the worldwide biggest fastfood chain in ukrainian and english language: "Будівництво нової крамниці...щоб об�?луговувати ва�? краще!"/"NEW STORE UNDER CONSTRUCTION ... to serve you better in 2008!". It maintains that the project is cofinanced by the Ukrainian Fonds for Regional Development as well: "Роботи �?півфінан�?овані Україн�?ькоюРе�?публікою. Україн�?ькі фонди регіонального розвитку.". The sign is located 1,5 km in front of the first checkpoint of the radioactive contamined zone. It is fixed on an old wall with an artistic relief which welcomes visitors to the area of Chernobyl.
The Installation was planned and build in berlin and is permantly installed there.
In October 2007 R. Macher and me visited the Zone the first time. We wanted to see and photograph this area, but primarily we wanted to experience to be there. In the run-up to this venture we had a couple of researches about the danger and risks of being there. But indeed without coherently results. Scientific analysis are discribing an overestimation of earlier views, but on the other hand there are various studies declaring the opposite. Also conversations with staffs from the Chernobyl Museum Kiev did not enlighted our questions, excepting the information that since a couple of years it is immpossible to buy radioation counter officially in Kiev. But this denied our personal leader inside the zone and he uttered himself more conciliatory about the the radiactive strenght: He lives since 8 years in the zone and he feels in rude health and much more agile as his acquaintances from Kiev for example. He enjoys living on-site, amongst a regenerated natur. He owns a job and better financial situation as he can expect outside the contamined zone.
He knew the area like the back of one's hand and guided us to rayless places as well as very high contamined sectors. He explained that in summertime on some roofs in Prypiat (the closest town to the reactor, which was evacuated 3 days after the accident) the radiation is that high that you can taste it sweet on your lips. The amount of radiation we received while our daytrip should be less as at a cross-country flight, from his point of view.
Until now we dont know exactly if we have to anticipate with remote damages, like the radiation syndrome.
If we exclude the ghost town Prypiat, the huge nuclear power plant and the radiation, the prohibited zone appered like a normal area with a big fluctuation of residents, workers, scientists and visitors to us. There are existing all kinds of professional classes (police, firefighters, retailing, building worker, cooks, carter, etc.) as well as a function infrastructure. Since many years the area opens up to tourism. Different agencies offer bustrips into the contamined area. The prices vary between 60 and 400 €, depending on the provider, service and length of the trip.
From our point view is the actual danger of the radiation and primarily the danger of the attrition of the sarcophagus (the securing concrete coat arround the destructed reactors ruin) neglected by regional and international authorities.
It seems as unvisible as the radiotion itself. With our installation we provoke an public discourse through the back door. A McDonald's restaurant in a radioactive contamined place seems absurd, even if you could believe the company would realize it. McDonald's as the missing piece of a puzzle in this "normal" area.
After researches we found out that the McDonald's Construction Sign was published by pressmedias (web (Link) and print) in germany. They believed in it.
