Proving Ground / Ground Zero

Théodora Barat is one of the four recipients of the program to support research and creation awarded in 2021 by the Institut pour la photographie on the theme Photography and Earth Policy . The installation Proving Ground / Ground Zero , co-produced by the Villa Medici, was conceived within this framework.

In the sun-scorched Four Corners desert, the development of the atomic bomb and uranium mining have devastated the land. Today, it remains a major hub for military research and the mining industry. But this final testing ground often overlaps with Indigenous territories, reenacting the myth of the pioneer. The installation Proving Ground / Ground Zero it immerses us in an America affected by nuclear power and places the victims’ voices at the heart of its narrative, in contrast to the official narrative.

Théodora Barat is also a recipient of the Étant Donnés Residences organized by the Institut français, the FACE Foundation, and the Villa Albertine

Espace Le Carré, the City of Lille’s Municipal Contemporary Art Center, is located in the heart of Old Lille. It works to promote contemporary visual arts by producing exhibition projects featuring international and local artists, in collaboration with prestigious partners such as FRAC Grand Large – Hauts-de-France, lille3000, and the LaM, Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary, and Art Brut. Its exhibitions provide an opportunity to explore artists’ work and promote artistic creation in the Lille area, while fostering a dialogue between contemporary art and more popular forms of artistic expression.

↘︎ Production & Distribution: The Jaouen Sisters

↘︎ Co-production: French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici

↘︎ Acknowledgments and Mentions: Île-de-France Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs – Ministry of Culture, Institut français, the Hauts-de-France Institut pour la photographie, Christian and Anne Mayeur, Mayeur Projects, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Media Art and Technology Department at NMHU, Las Vegas, New Mexico, F’A’A Residency supported by the DRAC Centre-Val de Loire. Project carried out as part of the RADIAN doctoral program led by ÉSAM Caen/Cherbourg, the Le Havre-Rouen School of Art and Design (ESADHaR), the National School of Architecture of Normandy, and Doctoral School 558 “Normandy Humanities” within the Normandy-University Community of Universities and Institutions (ComUE)