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June 20, 2007
River port, Chernobyl (Ukraine). From the book, Chernobyl: The Hidden Legacy, by Pierpaolo Mittica.
"In the flood lands of the Pripyat River there is radioactive contamination up to 15,000 times the approved security level. The Pripyat is a tributary of the Dnepr. This river supplies water to 30 million people." — from an extended caption in the book.
I met this young photographer-reporter, Pierpaolo Mittica, in London earlier this month. His remarkable and sobering book has just been published by Trolley Books. Through the book's compelling combination of powerful images and well-written text, it drives home the continuing, ongoing horror in the aftermath of a nuclear accident that happened 21 years ago. Its well-documented research and personal reporting present a convincing and unforgettable argument against nuclear energy.
It brings to mind the work of Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Sebastio Salgado.
You can see 20 photographs and a book review in Lens Culture.
I personally visited the Chernobyl area for two days in June 2006 with a friend and former resident of Pripyat. We toured the Chernobyl Plant (including the Reactor 4 control room), several of the abandoned villages, and Pripyat. I have posted a photo journal of my trip at:
My Journey To Chernobyl: 20 Years After the Disaster
Very powerful book, awesome. A masterpiece indeed. We really need somebody like Pierpaolo Mittica and the others (very few people) that have the courage to show us the TRUTH.
Certainly some powerful and intense images.