Following the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear powerplant accident in March 2011, 160,000 citizens were evacuated from their homes. Citizens ability to enter was restricted to within 20 kilometers of the powerplant, and all roads leading to the difficult-to-return zone were barricaded. The decontamination of the area is not yet finished, and still 43,000 citizens (record of December, 2018) are unable to return to their homes. Kyun-Chome opened computer classes in the temporary housing where the evacuated citizens reside, and taught them how to use Photoshop. After photographing their hometowns (Okuma, Tomioka, Futaba, and other cities), Kyun-Chome held a workshop where together with the citizens. During the workshop, the citizens deleted the barricades and bags of nuclear waste from the images. This video piece is documentation of the dialogue and emotions that were stimulated in the process.

The video work captures the screen of the computer as the evacuated citizens use Photoshop to gradually delete the obstacles that prevent them from returning home. The video is accompanied by conversations in real-time as they share their feelings about their actions and the situation in front of the screen. Sometimes, Photoshop mis-operations lead to the deletion of houses or cherry-blossoms near their homes which they should be familiar with, causing laughter. Contrary to the joyful mood, comments such as, “They should just flatten the place” and, “I don’t want to go home any more”, reveal their real feelings or thoughts that are hidden and do not appear in mainstream media. By partaking in this unrealistic play of imagination, the participants became able to express thoughts that they usually conceal or repress. Talking while they work, the participants began to share a variety of related problems they face such as economic decline due to old-age, or the problem of insurance surrounding the decontamination process.