Dani Ploeger, orphan

Orphan is an installation by Dani Ploeger about the mysterious allure and invisible threat of nuclear energy. Suspended in the center of the space is an object containing two radioactive cores. Using a Geiger counter, visitors can detect the invisible radiation themselves.

The artwork was inspired by an incident in 2001, when highly radioactive fuel rods that had gone missing were found in a forest in Georgia. Ploeger retells this event as a queer, post-apocalyptic science fiction story. Using films, a mysterious metal object, and tools for the recovery of nuclear material, he explores the tension between fascination and danger.

Dani Ploeger is an artist and cultural studies scholar originally from Zeeland. His work explores conflict and crisis situations on the fringes of high-tech consumer culture. His practice ranges from media art, installations, and film to performances, anarchist technology, and anthropological field research.