I'll let Photomat introduce himself - me, I'm a photographer with a graphic design background. The focus of my photography is forgotten spaces and I have been interested in shooting Chernobyl and Pripyat for quite a while. I've seen the books (Polidori), the exhibits (again Polidori comes to mind), and some great documentaries with exceptional photographs from organizations such as National Geographic. I'm not a documentary style photographer and have wanted to interpret this area in my own style.
Our project is called Volatile Particles - inspired by an article examining the effects of the Chernobyl disaster upon the local area and more widely across the world. It refers to the contaminants that were released into the air from the meltdown and the fact that half of these landed outside the immediate area, some affecting regions as far as the UK. The exhibit will explore the Chernobyl disaster through photography, documentary video, and personal stories of survivors and those who reside in the local area today. By examining the disaster through resident's voices, the aim is to personalize the photography and experience for the viewer. In the end, our exhibit will combine photography, documentary video, personal stories (hopefully), and be juxtaposed with our increasing dependence on the nuclear industry and how we are working to ensure that this type of disaster does not happen on Canadian soil. All thanks in part to the Ontario Arts Council.
And of course, we will have a wild (mis)adventure exploring Ukraine - from Kyiv in the North, to Odessa in the South, and Lviv in the West. So where are we now?
- plane tickets - check
- Chernobyl tour booked - check
- place to stay - check
- itinerary finalized - well, mostly
- have what I need - kinda
Stay tuned for posts of our journey - planning, travel, touring, and final exhibit. Dobranich!
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