If you have an hour, sit down and watch this amazing documentary about the Chornobyl disaster - with interviews with Hans Blix, Gorbachev, government and military workers, journalists, scientists, and Prypyat refugees.
We watched this documentary on the train out of Kyiv, heading out to Odessa to do some sightseeing after our big adventure to Chornobyl. It made me realize just what I had been walking through, what I had witnessed 23 years later, that I was now a part of nuclear experience in the Exclusion Zone. I don't think I will ever forget my time there or what I witnessed.
To this day, the term "The Liquidators" is one that I will always associate with radiation and death - even though these approximately 800000 young men were heros for going in without true knowledge of what they were getting into. The most heroic to me are the team of coal miners, who used their expertise to pump out the contaminated water to prevent its entrance into the groundwater. Although they were given suits and masks to wear, it was so dark and hot under the reactor, most chose to go in unencumbered by these ineffective security measures in order to work faster and breathe properly. They truly had no idea what working so long with so little protection under the reactor would do to them.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Inside a Crumbling Nuclear Giant
The sarcophagus that entombs the remains of the Chornobyl reactor was built hastily back in 1986 after the explosion. It was a quick solution to an unprecedented life-threatening problem that could cross through Europe and into Asia, depending on how the wind blew. Plans have been underway to design and build a new, more permanent sarcophagus before higher levels of radiation leak out and threaten the workers, animals, land, and water. This Greenpeace video, shows the interior of the crumbling structure and daily maintenance required to keep it standing until the new solution is completed.
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.
From Fukushima to Chornobyl
I’ve been watching, along with the rest of the world, as a potential nuclear disaster unravels in Japan with the tsunami-damaged reactors at Fukushima struggling to come under control and prevent a meltdown. As small levels of radiation leak out into the soil and air, media have quickly made the comparison between this breakdown and the disaster in Chornobyl – the world’s worst nuclear disaster just 25 years ago this April.
Having visited Chornobyl and it’s ghost city of Pripyat, I truly hope that is not the case as I wouldn’t want to see the city and land around the Fukushima plants cordoned off and left uninhabited for a quarter century due to toxic levels of radiation. But there are several differences between these two disasters in not only underlying circumstances, but also in local government and world response that in the end make the difference between a liveable solution and desolate wasteland.
How it happened
The Fukushima reactors broke down due to natural circumstances – they were hit by a tsunami and, as with most buildings in the area could not withstand the pressure and force of nature. But they have still managed to keep them contained, have put in major efforts to cool the cores to avoid meltdown, and there has been no explosion and spewing of radioactive materials into the air as with Chornobyl.
Chornobyl’s explosion was man-made. Some reports say that a worker at the plant turned off the emergency cooling system to test the electricity in the grid system which created a power surge. The reactor failed dramatically leaving them with no recourse but to go into the higly radioactive mess and try to cover it and contain it while digging under the reactor to install a cooling system in time before a second meltdown and explosion.
Reaction to the event
When the Chornobyl reactor exploded just 7km from the city of Pipyat, built for the workers and their families, it was three days before the government made any effort to evacuate the city. Officially there was no meltdown and no casualties and it was business as usual. With massive amounts of radiation in the air, soaking into the skin, all metal, into the earth and water systems, people just went about their business, some even swam in the river used to cool the reactor. It was 3 days after the explosion that officials told people that they were being evacuated temporarily for three days so they only needed what they could carry with them as they would be back soon. 1100 buses evacuated some 50,000 irradiated residents who never returned. Volunteers and those sent by the government to work on the reactor to get it cooled down and contained were not aware of the levels of radiation and most, if not all, died of radiation poisoning shortly after. The sarcophagus was built to contain the radiation that still spews from Chornobyl today and the land in a 30km radius is considered an Exclusion Zone – toxic and uninhabitable, perhaps forever.
At Fukushima, the reaction to the problem was immediate with scientists rushing to ensure that the reactors were contained and no danger to the land and water. Since Chornobyl, many of the world’s nuclear scientists have traveled to the Exclusion Zone to study the disaster and learn from its mistakes, see how reactors can be improved, and put in place contingency plans. With today’s immediate coverage of everything that happens in the world 24/7, there would be no way that any government could cover something up such as a nuclear plant being damaged or failing. Through 24/7 news channels, social media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, bloggers, and Flickr, we are a world that is connected to each other across oceans and can immediately react and provide aide. Although the scientists are having a challenge getting the reactors back on track and are reporting radiation levels 400 times the norm near the reactor, we need to keep in mind that when the people were evacuated from Pripyat, the levels were 60,000 times higher than normal. It may seem like a lot when reading the information in an isolated article, but it needs to be used in comparison to get a better idea of the scale.
Outcomes
I continue to watch the news, read the reports, and connect with my friends in Japan through FB to keep abreast of what’s going on with both the cleanup efforts and the Fukushima reactors. I have every hope that because of their experience with earthquakes and preparedness, what they learned from Chornobyl, their great technological advances since the 1986 disaster, and the world’s help at their call that the scientists and engineers at Fukushima will be able to pull an amazing scientific hattrick to contain their reactors and make Japan safe again, averting a second Chornobyl.
As much as I enjoyed the adventure of photographing a true ghost city in Pripyat, I am emotionally disconnected from the original event – it’s a toxic time capsule ready for exploration. I have an emotional attachment to Japan through friends and media, making it a different experience. It would pain me to see a part of Japan turn into an Exclusion Zone and become uninhabitable for 25 years, 50 years, or forever.
Having visited Chornobyl and it’s ghost city of Pripyat, I truly hope that is not the case as I wouldn’t want to see the city and land around the Fukushima plants cordoned off and left uninhabited for a quarter century due to toxic levels of radiation. But there are several differences between these two disasters in not only underlying circumstances, but also in local government and world response that in the end make the difference between a liveable solution and desolate wasteland.
How it happened
The Fukushima reactors broke down due to natural circumstances – they were hit by a tsunami and, as with most buildings in the area could not withstand the pressure and force of nature. But they have still managed to keep them contained, have put in major efforts to cool the cores to avoid meltdown, and there has been no explosion and spewing of radioactive materials into the air as with Chornobyl.
Chornobyl’s explosion was man-made. Some reports say that a worker at the plant turned off the emergency cooling system to test the electricity in the grid system which created a power surge. The reactor failed dramatically leaving them with no recourse but to go into the higly radioactive mess and try to cover it and contain it while digging under the reactor to install a cooling system in time before a second meltdown and explosion.
Reaction to the event
When the Chornobyl reactor exploded just 7km from the city of Pipyat, built for the workers and their families, it was three days before the government made any effort to evacuate the city. Officially there was no meltdown and no casualties and it was business as usual. With massive amounts of radiation in the air, soaking into the skin, all metal, into the earth and water systems, people just went about their business, some even swam in the river used to cool the reactor. It was 3 days after the explosion that officials told people that they were being evacuated temporarily for three days so they only needed what they could carry with them as they would be back soon. 1100 buses evacuated some 50,000 irradiated residents who never returned. Volunteers and those sent by the government to work on the reactor to get it cooled down and contained were not aware of the levels of radiation and most, if not all, died of radiation poisoning shortly after. The sarcophagus was built to contain the radiation that still spews from Chornobyl today and the land in a 30km radius is considered an Exclusion Zone – toxic and uninhabitable, perhaps forever.
At Fukushima, the reaction to the problem was immediate with scientists rushing to ensure that the reactors were contained and no danger to the land and water. Since Chornobyl, many of the world’s nuclear scientists have traveled to the Exclusion Zone to study the disaster and learn from its mistakes, see how reactors can be improved, and put in place contingency plans. With today’s immediate coverage of everything that happens in the world 24/7, there would be no way that any government could cover something up such as a nuclear plant being damaged or failing. Through 24/7 news channels, social media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, bloggers, and Flickr, we are a world that is connected to each other across oceans and can immediately react and provide aide. Although the scientists are having a challenge getting the reactors back on track and are reporting radiation levels 400 times the norm near the reactor, we need to keep in mind that when the people were evacuated from Pripyat, the levels were 60,000 times higher than normal. It may seem like a lot when reading the information in an isolated article, but it needs to be used in comparison to get a better idea of the scale.
Outcomes
I continue to watch the news, read the reports, and connect with my friends in Japan through FB to keep abreast of what’s going on with both the cleanup efforts and the Fukushima reactors. I have every hope that because of their experience with earthquakes and preparedness, what they learned from Chornobyl, their great technological advances since the 1986 disaster, and the world’s help at their call that the scientists and engineers at Fukushima will be able to pull an amazing scientific hattrick to contain their reactors and make Japan safe again, averting a second Chornobyl.
As much as I enjoyed the adventure of photographing a true ghost city in Pripyat, I am emotionally disconnected from the original event – it’s a toxic time capsule ready for exploration. I have an emotional attachment to Japan through friends and media, making it a different experience. It would pain me to see a part of Japan turn into an Exclusion Zone and become uninhabitable for 25 years, 50 years, or forever.
Olena Sullivan photographed the irradiated Exclusion Zone of Chornobyl and Pripyat. Photos from this excursion can be seen in 3 upcoming exhibits – “Chornobyl Remembered” at the Ukrainian Embassy in Canada (Ottawa) April 12-end June, “Chornobyl: 25 Years Later” at KUMF Gallery (April 26-May 4) with a reception and presentation May 30 at 6pm, and “Volatile Particles: Chornobyl 25 Years Later” at Bezpala Brown Gallery (Toronto) as part of CONTACT 2011 with a reception May 14. You can view additional photos from Pripyat on her website.
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 24, 2009
Reflections on Ruin
It's been a long road, filtering through the hundreds of photos from Pripyat and the reactor, trying to whittle them down to those few perfect ones. The ones that capture the essence of our trip, truly convey the mood of that abandoned and silent city, and tell the story that we ourselves can only begin to fully comprehend.
On the overnight train ride from Odessa to Lviv, Photomat had shown me the documentary he had about the Chernobyl incident - I really have to get the name of it from him. It had footage of Pripyat, showing it as an active and lively city just before and after the explosion.
I was amazed at how well preserved the buildings were from what I could see in the footage. Other than windows being shattered, which can probably be chalked up to vandalism more than decay, the structures themselves were in amazing shape. The big difference was the vegetation and animal life.
When we had passed through the main checkpoint heading into the city proper, we were told by Evgeny (photo at right with me), our (amazing) guide that we were now driving on the main thoroughfare. Considering that the road was just wide enough for his car and the trees were canopied and just brushing the top, this seemed quite an impossibility. However, the documentary clearly showed that this main thoroughfare was quite an avenue - along the lines of Toronto's University Avenue - two grand roads with a garden-like divide. We just couldn't see it, nature had taken over completely and the road was one big pothole.
Another difference was in the overall layout of the city. We had made our way to the top of the hotel, sweating in our white alien-like anti-radiation suits, climbing 9 (or 10?) floors to get a wonderful view of the entire city from the long-gone wall-to-wall windows in what I assume had been a penthouse suite. Scanning the horizon, you felt like you were in some Green Party's Utopian cityscape - you could barely see below the 3rd floor of any building as everything was overgrown with trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, and other native forms of vegetation. It was quite beautiful - so green and lush and quiet. You could almost imagine that you were an explorer and had found a lost civilization - until your dosimeter would go off to remind you of all the radiation.
Looking at the documentary gave us a completely different view of the cityscape. Pripyat looked more like what you would expect to see in European locations like Kyiv, Prague, or Vienna. Most of the buildings had vast concrete plazas in front of them and the city had a larger metal/concrete to nature ratio. They were surrounded by forest and had some garden areas around the housing but schoolyards were concrete, and so were roads, and walkways. It's amazing just how easily plants were able to take hold in this concrete jungle and reclaim it.
The other night, we caught a bit of the series Life After People, which is supposed to chronicle in a timeline what will happen to cities once man is gone and nature and animals take over again. Sounded interesting and it's been recommended to me since I like to shoot abandoned spaces. The episode which looks at life after 20 years is supposed to focus entirely on Pripyat as they used it as the real-life example of the level of decay for this time span. I'm looking forward to finding some time to look at that episode and see how well it meshes with my own personal experience.
I was glad that we had watched the documentary after our trip as we could compare what we had seen and experienced to how the city looked and functioned when it was still vital.
On the overnight train ride from Odessa to Lviv, Photomat had shown me the documentary he had about the Chernobyl incident - I really have to get the name of it from him. It had footage of Pripyat, showing it as an active and lively city just before and after the explosion.
I was amazed at how well preserved the buildings were from what I could see in the footage. Other than windows being shattered, which can probably be chalked up to vandalism more than decay, the structures themselves were in amazing shape. The big difference was the vegetation and animal life.
When we had passed through the main checkpoint heading into the city proper, we were told by Evgeny (photo at right with me), our (amazing) guide that we were now driving on the main thoroughfare. Considering that the road was just wide enough for his car and the trees were canopied and just brushing the top, this seemed quite an impossibility. However, the documentary clearly showed that this main thoroughfare was quite an avenue - along the lines of Toronto's University Avenue - two grand roads with a garden-like divide. We just couldn't see it, nature had taken over completely and the road was one big pothole.
Another difference was in the overall layout of the city. We had made our way to the top of the hotel, sweating in our white alien-like anti-radiation suits, climbing 9 (or 10?) floors to get a wonderful view of the entire city from the long-gone wall-to-wall windows in what I assume had been a penthouse suite. Scanning the horizon, you felt like you were in some Green Party's Utopian cityscape - you could barely see below the 3rd floor of any building as everything was overgrown with trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, and other native forms of vegetation. It was quite beautiful - so green and lush and quiet. You could almost imagine that you were an explorer and had found a lost civilization - until your dosimeter would go off to remind you of all the radiation.
Looking at the documentary gave us a completely different view of the cityscape. Pripyat looked more like what you would expect to see in European locations like Kyiv, Prague, or Vienna. Most of the buildings had vast concrete plazas in front of them and the city had a larger metal/concrete to nature ratio. They were surrounded by forest and had some garden areas around the housing but schoolyards were concrete, and so were roads, and walkways. It's amazing just how easily plants were able to take hold in this concrete jungle and reclaim it.
The other night, we caught a bit of the series Life After People, which is supposed to chronicle in a timeline what will happen to cities once man is gone and nature and animals take over again. Sounded interesting and it's been recommended to me since I like to shoot abandoned spaces. The episode which looks at life after 20 years is supposed to focus entirely on Pripyat as they used it as the real-life example of the level of decay for this time span. I'm looking forward to finding some time to look at that episode and see how well it meshes with my own personal experience.
I was glad that we had watched the documentary after our trip as we could compare what we had seen and experienced to how the city looked and functioned when it was still vital.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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