Click the map to enlarge it (you'll need to - trust me). You'll see just how little we shot in 3 days on a private tour....
Showing posts with label Chernobyl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chernobyl. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The vastness of a ghost city
If you ever get a chance to visit Pripyat, thinking to yourself "I have 3 days - I'm going to photograph the entire place!" believe me when I say, you never will. The city is so huge and you want to have at least an hour per building to shoot something half decent. I think I would need at least 3 more visits to get a comprehensive photographic essay of this forgotten location.
Click the map to enlarge it (you'll need to - trust me). You'll see just how little we shot in 3 days on a private tour....
Click the map to enlarge it (you'll need to - trust me). You'll see just how little we shot in 3 days on a private tour....
Where did the time go?
It's amazing how fast time flies. In just 3 days we'll be installing the CONTACT Photography Show at Bezpala Brown Gallery that has come out of this 2 year adventure!
Just in case you were interested in seeing just how big the locations were that we visited, here's a map of the Chornobyl reactor and area - anything with labels indicating where we were allowed to go and to shoot.
Just in case you were interested in seeing just how big the locations were that we visited, here's a map of the Chornobyl reactor and area - anything with labels indicating where we were allowed to go and to shoot.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Our exhibit in Slate Art Magazine
Two Canadian artists document Chernobyl 25 years after the nuclear disaster while the world watches another unfold. Volatile Particles contrasts man's impact on the environment with nature's resilience. The photographs blend images of normality (the ghosts of the past) superimposed on post-Chernobyl devastation and infestation (the present-day stark reality amid the afterlife of the Exclusion Zone). Poignant, moving and relevant – this is a timely introspection addressing our ever-evolving nuclear depression.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Disaster In Film
When you see photos of the Chernobyl reactor now, you really don't understand just how horrible and deadly the disaster really was. Wrapped up in its sarcophagus, it looks like any other industrial building - a cool private property surrounded by tall cement walls topped by razor wire and heavily guarded by security. The kind of place any urban explorer would love to get into. If you weren't aware of the history - and kids born in the 90s probably aren't - there's nothing here to really give you a sense of the mighty disaster that could have torn the world apart.
There's a short film on YouTube that was shot by filmmaker Vladimir Shevchenko, one of the first on the scene at the disaster in April 1986. His images are haunting - they show the panic as people try to deal with the explosion, working in extreme radiation conditions either without protective gear or with just paper masks to keep them safe. Shevchenko died several weeks after shooting the film from radiation exposure. His name never made it among the official casualties list.
There's a short film on YouTube that was shot by filmmaker Vladimir Shevchenko, one of the first on the scene at the disaster in April 1986. His images are haunting - they show the panic as people try to deal with the explosion, working in extreme radiation conditions either without protective gear or with just paper masks to keep them safe. Shevchenko died several weeks after shooting the film from radiation exposure. His name never made it among the official casualties list.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Village People
(posted late due to no internet in Chernobyl)
On our second day in the Zone, we travelled to the village of Opichi (sp?), 25 km south of the main disaster area. All the local here had been evacuated after the disaster and were not allowed back as this was considered a "dirty" area. About 1300 people - mostly elderly - returned to their homes in the small villages that dot the countryside.
Today there are about 130 of these villagers remaining - mostly in their 80s - as the rest have dies. These last few settlers have been referred to by the media and the government as "squatters" although they have resettled their own land and gone back to their own homes.
They have become self-sufficientm growing vegetables and keeping livestock as they have no real support system other than a truck that comes by to refill gas tanks and a monthly bus that will take them to Chernobyl for supplies.
Those we spoke to would not want to leave. Even living alone as widows they kept pristing homes, built by their own hands, and had beautiful prosperous gardens full of sunflowers and vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, beets, and corn. They even produced their own vodka - and it was potent! After three homes and 4 shots, I was definitely feeling the effects.
This immersion into the Ukrainian peasant life and meeting these wonderful strong women helped to to understand where the women in my family get their independent streak. As I listened to them recount the stories of living through the Holodomor - the famine of 1932-33 - the Russian and German occupations, the nuclear disaster, losing their homes and then returning against the rules of the government, I could see in their eyes and hear in the tone of their voices that these were women who would not be told what they could or could not do.
Valentyna - 74 years old
The first of our three visits was to Valentyna, a widow who lived in the home that she and her late husband had built. Her garden was beautiful, full of large blooming flowers of all colour and shape and vegetables of all sorts. She was self-sufficient mostly and she was very proud of what she had. Petite, at just about 5 feet tall, this powerhouse of a woman kept her farmhouse completely spotless even though she walked using a crutch under one arm. Even at her age, she distilled her own vodka using her own berries and lots of sugar. She invited us all to shots and white melon from her garden.
Maria - 87 years old
On the way to our second house, we spotted Maria walking down the road, chasing the local cats with a switch. She had her mud boots on, a skirt to the knee, white sweater, and bright yellow kerchief with red flowers. The image was how I had pictured a farm babushka would look like. She was very happy to have visitors and invited us into her home. Hand-built, like Valentyna's, this one was two rooms and also included a full stove that worked as an oven, food dryer, and house heater. We all sat in her living room and listened as my father asked her about her childhood growing up during the wars. She loved to share her stories and it was a highlight of our trip out to the country. She was also very proud to show off her 80th birthday gifts - a new TV and cellphone.
Olga - 82 years old
Our last stop was at the home of a very gracious hostess who had the most beautiful embroidery collection - all her own. Although she's now 82 years old, she still embroiders pillows, table runners, and pictures and these are all over her one room house - again hand-built. We tasted some tomatoes form her garden which were so delicious and of course had some vodka - this time bottled and really strong. Her garden has beautiful tall sunflowers and she had some rambunctious chickens in the coop out back. Of course, each of the ladies had cats - there's always cats.
We had come out to visit these women, bringing each a bag of supplies such as pasta, milk, cookies, and juice. A gift of thanks for their time with use, allowing us into their homes and to take photos of their lives, and also to help them out as they are so isolated. The road to this one village was quite a ways out and was one that I would never have thought of driving on. It looked as if it hadn't been used in years. This was an experience that I never forget.
On our second day in the Zone, we travelled to the village of Opichi (sp?), 25 km south of the main disaster area. All the local here had been evacuated after the disaster and were not allowed back as this was considered a "dirty" area. About 1300 people - mostly elderly - returned to their homes in the small villages that dot the countryside.
Today there are about 130 of these villagers remaining - mostly in their 80s - as the rest have dies. These last few settlers have been referred to by the media and the government as "squatters" although they have resettled their own land and gone back to their own homes.
They have become self-sufficientm growing vegetables and keeping livestock as they have no real support system other than a truck that comes by to refill gas tanks and a monthly bus that will take them to Chernobyl for supplies.
Those we spoke to would not want to leave. Even living alone as widows they kept pristing homes, built by their own hands, and had beautiful prosperous gardens full of sunflowers and vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, beets, and corn. They even produced their own vodka - and it was potent! After three homes and 4 shots, I was definitely feeling the effects.
This immersion into the Ukrainian peasant life and meeting these wonderful strong women helped to to understand where the women in my family get their independent streak. As I listened to them recount the stories of living through the Holodomor - the famine of 1932-33 - the Russian and German occupations, the nuclear disaster, losing their homes and then returning against the rules of the government, I could see in their eyes and hear in the tone of their voices that these were women who would not be told what they could or could not do.
Valentyna - 74 years old
The first of our three visits was to Valentyna, a widow who lived in the home that she and her late husband had built. Her garden was beautiful, full of large blooming flowers of all colour and shape and vegetables of all sorts. She was self-sufficient mostly and she was very proud of what she had. Petite, at just about 5 feet tall, this powerhouse of a woman kept her farmhouse completely spotless even though she walked using a crutch under one arm. Even at her age, she distilled her own vodka using her own berries and lots of sugar. She invited us all to shots and white melon from her garden.
Maria - 87 years old
On the way to our second house, we spotted Maria walking down the road, chasing the local cats with a switch. She had her mud boots on, a skirt to the knee, white sweater, and bright yellow kerchief with red flowers. The image was how I had pictured a farm babushka would look like. She was very happy to have visitors and invited us into her home. Hand-built, like Valentyna's, this one was two rooms and also included a full stove that worked as an oven, food dryer, and house heater. We all sat in her living room and listened as my father asked her about her childhood growing up during the wars. She loved to share her stories and it was a highlight of our trip out to the country. She was also very proud to show off her 80th birthday gifts - a new TV and cellphone.
Olga - 82 years old
Our last stop was at the home of a very gracious hostess who had the most beautiful embroidery collection - all her own. Although she's now 82 years old, she still embroiders pillows, table runners, and pictures and these are all over her one room house - again hand-built. We tasted some tomatoes form her garden which were so delicious and of course had some vodka - this time bottled and really strong. Her garden has beautiful tall sunflowers and she had some rambunctious chickens in the coop out back. Of course, each of the ladies had cats - there's always cats.
We had come out to visit these women, bringing each a bag of supplies such as pasta, milk, cookies, and juice. A gift of thanks for their time with use, allowing us into their homes and to take photos of their lives, and also to help them out as they are so isolated. The road to this one village was quite a ways out and was one that I would never have thought of driving on. It looked as if it hadn't been used in years. This was an experience that I never forget.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Chernobyl - Day 1
(Posted 1 day late due to lack of wi-fi access in the Zone - Photolena)
After a long year of planning, we finally headed out of Kiev today and into the wilds of the Zone. Our guide Yevgeny was raring to go at 7:30am and we headed out into the countryside going northbound towards Belarus.
We hit our first checkpoint 30km outside of Pripyat. A very formal affair - we had to show our passports which were compared to the information that was sent over several weeks before when booking our trip. For a few seconds there I was worried that I had sent them my old passport number when I booked, as I only renewed it a month before the trip and we weren't going to be let in - but these are the kinds of anxiety moments I have. Once we got the all OK, we headed into the town of Chernobyl, where the people who still work at the reactor stay. As there are strict rules about how long you can stay within the Zone, workers either do 15 days in/15 days out or weekdays in/weekends out and have a home outside the perimiter where it's considered "clean". Many of them live in Kyiv and take the 1.5 hour commute in.
We met our guide form the Chernobylinterinform state agency who spent a half hour reading us the disclaimer and rules - which we then had to sign and was kept with us the entire two days and used as our official paperwork to get past the other 2 interior checkpoints:
We first got a tour of Chernobyl city - the only church left for all the people, some of the many abandoned homes, and the post office that has a digital display which updates the radiation counts around the zone every minute. We also saw the famous monument erected to commemorate the workers who dies responding to the disaster. It was paid for by the families of the workers and the locals for their "heroes" and reads "For those who saved the world".
We then headed off for the first of the big 2 ultimate photo locations on our lists - the Chernobyl reactor. We stopped on the highway to take some long shots of the sarcophagus, the half-finished cooling towers, and the equally half-finished reactor #4 which was in progress when the disaster happened. The cranes are still on the site and will remain there. We stopped at the bridge to feed the mutant catfish in the man-made cooling pond then proceeded around the reactor to the official "photographer spot" at the nuclear monument. It would have been nice to go and walk around a bit, but it was still awe-inspiring to be standing 300m from the biggest technological disaster of my time. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting a nuclear reactor sarcophagus to look like, but it kind of reminded me of Hearn Generating Station when it had seen better days. They are already beginning construction on the new one as this one is already old and will soon fail.
Our next stop was something I have been dreaming of for quite some time - the abandoned city of Pripyat. It's amazing just how close the city was to the reactor and now wonder that it had to be evacuated. I could have walked over there from the reactor site.
At the checkpoint - our last for the area - we started exploring. Let me just say how fantastic our guide was, We had emailed ahead and let the tour company know that we wanted our time tailored specifically towards photography and even sent a list of the buildings from Google Maps that I had tagged as interesting. I'll be damned if we didn't hit at least 14 of those locations today - which is why I can no longer feel my feet, calves, thighs, or spine. Well worth it. Let's see if I can remember some of the highlights so this blog post doesn't turn into a novel:
After a full day of exploration, we headed back to the INterinform building to see if we were irradiated, using a full-sized dosimeter that looked like it was from the 50s. We all passed. It's going to be sweet dreams and a deep sleep for me. We start the adventure all over again with an 8am breakfast tomorrow.
(Day 2 of Chernobyl to be posted tomorrow)
After a long year of planning, we finally headed out of Kiev today and into the wilds of the Zone. Our guide Yevgeny was raring to go at 7:30am and we headed out into the countryside going northbound towards Belarus.
We hit our first checkpoint 30km outside of Pripyat. A very formal affair - we had to show our passports which were compared to the information that was sent over several weeks before when booking our trip. For a few seconds there I was worried that I had sent them my old passport number when I booked, as I only renewed it a month before the trip and we weren't going to be let in - but these are the kinds of anxiety moments I have. Once we got the all OK, we headed into the town of Chernobyl, where the people who still work at the reactor stay. As there are strict rules about how long you can stay within the Zone, workers either do 15 days in/15 days out or weekdays in/weekends out and have a home outside the perimiter where it's considered "clean". Many of them live in Kyiv and take the 1.5 hour commute in.
We met our guide form the Chernobylinterinform state agency who spent a half hour reading us the disclaimer and rules - which we then had to sign and was kept with us the entire two days and used as our official paperwork to get past the other 2 interior checkpoints:
- don't touch any plants with your bare hands
- keep with the guides at all tiimes as there are packs of wolves around that have begun to bite people during the day
- if you get your camera or video gear contaminated, they are not responsible for it
- this is all at your own risk and you are cool with that
We first got a tour of Chernobyl city - the only church left for all the people, some of the many abandoned homes, and the post office that has a digital display which updates the radiation counts around the zone every minute. We also saw the famous monument erected to commemorate the workers who dies responding to the disaster. It was paid for by the families of the workers and the locals for their "heroes" and reads "For those who saved the world".
We then headed off for the first of the big 2 ultimate photo locations on our lists - the Chernobyl reactor. We stopped on the highway to take some long shots of the sarcophagus, the half-finished cooling towers, and the equally half-finished reactor #4 which was in progress when the disaster happened. The cranes are still on the site and will remain there. We stopped at the bridge to feed the mutant catfish in the man-made cooling pond then proceeded around the reactor to the official "photographer spot" at the nuclear monument. It would have been nice to go and walk around a bit, but it was still awe-inspiring to be standing 300m from the biggest technological disaster of my time. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting a nuclear reactor sarcophagus to look like, but it kind of reminded me of Hearn Generating Station when it had seen better days. They are already beginning construction on the new one as this one is already old and will soon fail.
Our next stop was something I have been dreaming of for quite some time - the abandoned city of Pripyat. It's amazing just how close the city was to the reactor and now wonder that it had to be evacuated. I could have walked over there from the reactor site.
At the checkpoint - our last for the area - we started exploring. Let me just say how fantastic our guide was, We had emailed ahead and let the tour company know that we wanted our time tailored specifically towards photography and even sent a list of the buildings from Google Maps that I had tagged as interesting. I'll be damned if we didn't hit at least 14 of those locations today - which is why I can no longer feel my feet, calves, thighs, or spine. Well worth it. Let's see if I can remember some of the highlights so this blog post doesn't turn into a novel:
- a cafe that had mostly intact stained glass windows made in a way that I had never seen before
- a hospital with medical equipment
- a school filled with desks and a chalkboard full of the names and dates of people who had visited the city
- an orphanage with rooms full of children's bed frames
- the view of the city from the top floor of the main hotel
- the bumper cars in the amusement park
- an Olympic grade swimming pool with 2 levels of high dive boards
- a grade school full of children's gas masks
After a full day of exploration, we headed back to the INterinform building to see if we were irradiated, using a full-sized dosimeter that looked like it was from the 50s. We all passed. It's going to be sweet dreams and a deep sleep for me. We start the adventure all over again with an 8am breakfast tomorrow.
(Day 2 of Chernobyl to be posted tomorrow)
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Let's Play It By Ear - Sort Of
Two weeks to go before we fly out so we decided to meet and firm up our itinerary for the trip. We realized we needed to do the math on the train schedules, bus information, and distances to see if our ambitious plan would work.
As much as we want to see everything the country has to offer, we're realistic about only having 2 weeks on the road. Our main objective was always to get to Chernobyl for photography - and with that booked and in place, being able to get around the rest of the country and photograph Soviet-era structures, onion domed churches, historic Ukrainian architecture, and many other of Ukraine's forgotten and decaying structures is a wonderful extra.
Since we don't know just how much we'll see in the different locations we visit, we've decided to keep it loose. It's usually the way I like to travel anyway. The flexibility allows you to spend as much or as little time as you need in one place without the worry of having to make it to a reservation. I've traveled with people who need every single hour of every day scheduled out for them - I'm not really like that, doesn't leave room for those great detours in life. Luckily we both seem to be more into the adventure and not the schedule so I think we're going to travel quite well together.
So if it's a loose itinerary, do we even know where we're going now, you might ask? Sure:
Where we go in between and how long we stay in the main cities is the adventure right now. As long as we're back in Kyiv to fly home on time, I'm happy flittering around the country and exploring, meeting people, adding stories and images to our project.
View Larger Map
As much as we want to see everything the country has to offer, we're realistic about only having 2 weeks on the road. Our main objective was always to get to Chernobyl for photography - and with that booked and in place, being able to get around the rest of the country and photograph Soviet-era structures, onion domed churches, historic Ukrainian architecture, and many other of Ukraine's forgotten and decaying structures is a wonderful extra.
Since we don't know just how much we'll see in the different locations we visit, we've decided to keep it loose. It's usually the way I like to travel anyway. The flexibility allows you to spend as much or as little time as you need in one place without the worry of having to make it to a reservation. I've traveled with people who need every single hour of every day scheduled out for them - I'm not really like that, doesn't leave room for those great detours in life. Luckily we both seem to be more into the adventure and not the schedule so I think we're going to travel quite well together.
So if it's a loose itinerary, do we even know where we're going now, you might ask? Sure:
Kyiv > Chernobyl > Kyiv > Odesa > Lviv > Kyiv
Where we go in between and how long we stay in the main cities is the adventure right now. As long as we're back in Kyiv to fly home on time, I'm happy flittering around the country and exploring, meeting people, adding stories and images to our project.
View Larger Map
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Get Into The Zone
For those who don't know about Chernobyl's Alienation Zone, here's the quick and dirty version of where we're aiming to go for our photography excursion:
ZONE OF ALIENATION
The Zone was established after the disaster in 1986 in order to evacuate the local population and prevent people from entering the contaminated area. It is made up of 4 concentric circular zones with the closest in, about 30km from the site, being the most contaminated. Within the zones are hot spots of radiation where equipment has been buried and many of these remain unmapped - some committed to memory and some unknown. Authorities try to protect these spots not only from tourists but scrap hunters as well.
The Zone operates within its own civil rules, with its own police (the MVS) and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, all administered by the Administration of the Alienation Zone. These branches work together to police the shift workers who come in to the nuclear site, tourists, visiting officials and dignitaries, and interlopers.
Interesting Facts
(With information from Wikipedia page Zone of Alienation)
ZONE OF ALIENATION
The Zone was established after the disaster in 1986 in order to evacuate the local population and prevent people from entering the contaminated area. It is made up of 4 concentric circular zones with the closest in, about 30km from the site, being the most contaminated. Within the zones are hot spots of radiation where equipment has been buried and many of these remain unmapped - some committed to memory and some unknown. Authorities try to protect these spots not only from tourists but scrap hunters as well.The Zone operates within its own civil rules, with its own police (the MVS) and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, all administered by the Administration of the Alienation Zone. These branches work together to police the shift workers who come in to the nuclear site, tourists, visiting officials and dignitaries, and interlopers.
Interesting Facts
- The cloud of heavily polluted radioactive dust produced the Red Forest - a strand of highly-irradiated pine near the plant.
- Many species of wildlife have flourished due to the significant reduction of human impact - wolves, wild boar, red deer, moose, and beaver.
- Przewalski's Horses - a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of Central Asia - which were released in the area after the disaster are flourishing.
- Brown bear, which has not been seen in the area for several decades, has been reported as well as wild lynx.
- There are 800 known burial grounds for irradiated vehicles, hundreds of abandoned military vehicles & helicopters, and river ships and barges lie in the abandoned ports.
(With information from Wikipedia page Zone of Alienation)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Chernobylzone
After several weeks of back and forth emails with a contact in Ukraine, we've sent off our info to book a two day private tour of Chernobyl and Pripyat. The company is Chernobylzone - Journeys Into Chernobyl Alienation Area. It's been interesting communicating through email as their English is pretty good, but obviously not their mother tongue. Of course, I can always get additional information from their website - after I learn Russian. I speak/read Ukrainian so I can make out some of it, but it's not quite the same.
There's some additional items we could have for the tour (for a fee of course) and we thought it would be geeky/cool to have the dosimeters but I had to email them to explain the "IPE" gear. Turns out it's a slimming all-white one-piece outfit complete with hood for you to wear while exploring around the radiated area. The ultimate in geek chic. I wasn't going to go for it until I read the part about having to throw out the clothes you wear on the tour if you happen to get any soil/debris/etc. on them. IPE gear it is then.
Looking forward to seeing exactly what type of hotel we'll be staying at outside of the alienation zone overnight. Apparently it's nothing fancy but the only one in the area. For me, the chance to interact with the people who have lived in the area, within the shadow of the reactor and its effects, and to see how the area has changed in the 20+ years since the disaster more than makes up for a lumpy bed.
Fingers crossed that our dates get approved for the tour.
There's some additional items we could have for the tour (for a fee of course) and we thought it would be geeky/cool to have the dosimeters but I had to email them to explain the "IPE" gear. Turns out it's a slimming all-white one-piece outfit complete with hood for you to wear while exploring around the radiated area. The ultimate in geek chic. I wasn't going to go for it until I read the part about having to throw out the clothes you wear on the tour if you happen to get any soil/debris/etc. on them. IPE gear it is then.
Looking forward to seeing exactly what type of hotel we'll be staying at outside of the alienation zone overnight. Apparently it's nothing fancy but the only one in the area. For me, the chance to interact with the people who have lived in the area, within the shadow of the reactor and its effects, and to see how the area has changed in the 20+ years since the disaster more than makes up for a lumpy bed.
Fingers crossed that our dates get approved for the tour.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Welcome to the panic room
So we finally got around to putting together our blog - 3 weeks before we leave for Ukraine. I guess introductions are in order and an explanation of why we're embarking on this journey.
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?
Stay tuned for posts of our journey - planning, travel, touring, and final exhibit. Dobranich!
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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