Close Sidebar

© 2024 Tous droits réservés - L'Œil de la Photographie

En lecture
Gerd Ludwig: L’ombre de Tchernobyl
Rechercher un article

Gerd Ludwig: L’ombre de Tchernobyl

  • Views of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from the former Polissya Hotel in Prypyat © Gerd Ludwig 2005

    Views of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from the former Polissya Hotel in Prypyat © Gerd Ludwig 2005

  • The contaminated control room of Unit #4, where the engineers rncaused the fatal meltdown that resulted in the world's largestrnnuclear accident to date. A radiation worker is monitoring the area. Pictures of my guide Julia and me in one of the Unit #4 monitoring rooms © Gerd Ludwig 2005
  • Radiation monitoring occurs on a regular basis on the grounds surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Workers just outside the plant's crumbling west wall take water and soil contamination samples, and conduct land surveys to repair and build new access roads. During breaks, the workers stand inside a small lead shed provided to shield them radiation still leaking through the propped up containment wall © Gerd Ludwig 2005
  • Abandoned homes in Korogod. On April 26, 1986 the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Chernobyl contaminated thousands of square miles, forcing 150.000 inhabitants within a 30km zone to hastily abandon their homes. Today nearly all of its small wooden houses are still empty and nature is slowly taking over © Gerd Ludwig 2005
  • Until now, few groups have had the chance to visit Chernobyl and its contaminated surroundings. But on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the world worst nuclear accident to date, the Ukrainian government legalized such tours and is developing plans to attract close to one million visitors to the zone in 2012. The first tours are already underway. rnrnThe most arresting attraction for many visitors is the ghost town of Pripyat less than 3km from the failed reactor. In the 1970's it was constructed for the plant's personnel. Once a beautiful town, its 50,000 inhabitants were evacuated 36 hours after the accident. But 25 years after the catastrophe nature starts rebounding. Grass pushes up through the cracks of dormant roads that once were glorious promenades, and even trees grow through broken windows and doors © Gerd Ludwig 2010 All Rights Reserved
  • On April 26, 1986, the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine contaminated thousands of square miles, forcing 150.000 inhabitants within a 30km zone to hastily abandon their homes. Nineteen years later, the still empty school and kindergarten rooms in Prypyat- once the largest town in the zone with 49.000 inhabitants - bear witness to the sudden and tragic departure © Gerd Ludwig 2005
  • For years desperate efforts were underway to shore up the roof of the shelter to prevent it from collapsing. Dimly lit tunnels lead to eerie rooms strewn with wires, pieces of shredded metal and other debris. Walls have collapsed and rubble is covered with contaminated dust. The stabilization work has been completed and today the reactor's interior sits untouched and deadly radioactive, waiting to be dismantled. rnrnBackground Info:rnAfter the Chernobyl Nuclear accident, a concrete and steel encasement, the so-called sarcophagus, was hastily erected to contain the radioactive remnants inside the failed reactor. Only intended to be temporary, it is leaky and structurally unsound. Scientists agree that it will ultimately give way, shaking loose enough radioactivity to cause a second disaster of even greater magnitude © Gerd Ludwig 2010 All Rights Reserved
  • Kharytina Descha, 92, is one of the few elderly people who have returned to their village homes inside the Exclusion Zone. Although surrounded by devastation and isolation, she prefers to die on her own soil. Teremtsy, Ukraine 2011 © Gerd Ludwig 2005
  • On the day and months following the accident, strong winds pushed the radiation released by the explosion northwesterly into the Gomel region of Belarus, contaminating thousands of square kilometers with the fallout. Nineteen years later, girls born around the time of the Chernobyl accident are having children of their own, and many of them undergo psychological stress wondering what the contamination may have done to their reproductive organs. At the Maternity House, a hospital in Gomel, Olga Khorsun, 36, and Tatyana Bundelyova, 29, are delivering their third child; Chief doctor: Andrey Smirnov © Gerd Ludwig 2005
  • Victor Koshevoy, 76 was a liquidator of the Chernobyl accident and now suffers from a heart condition that keeps him from moving around. His prognosis is rather dim. Before moving to Slavutich, he lived in Pripyat at the time of the accident, and was involved in the clean up. While he blames his health problems on the high doses of radiation he received, he does not regret anything he did in the past. --We were brought up to serve our country, even if it meant sacrificing our health.-- Victor enjoys the company of their grandson Andrey, 10, a fan of the Stalker computer video game that plays out in the Chernobyl reactor.rnrnBackground:rnAn estimated 800,000 people, called liquidators, participated in containing the Chernobyl disaster, cleaning up after the accident, and building the sarcophagus around the destroyed reactor. Most liquidators received high doses of radiation resulting in cancers and other diseases that were induced by their exposure and often only show up decades after the event © Gerd Ludwig 2010 All Rights Reserved
  • Despite scientific dispute over the cause of physical malformations, many homes in Belarus receive support from Chernobyl aid programs funded by various international aid organizations around the world. One of the major forces channeling aid to Belarus is activist, Adi Roche, an Irish woman who founded the organization, Chernobyl Children, and produced the 2004 Academy Award winning documentary on Chernobyl victims, --Chernobyl Heartu201d. The Boarding School for Physically Handicapped Children in Rechitsa houses 103 children, ages 4-20, and is one of the beneficiaries of Adi's help © Gerd Ludwig 2005rn
  • Shortly after midnight on April 26, 1986, Anatoly Gritsak, 56, was on his shift as supervisor in the Control Room of Unit #1 when, the fuel rods at Unit #4 melted down and caused the fatal explosion. He continued working at the CNPP for exactly 3 years, 3 months and 3 days after the accident, and then became a member of the Chernobyl committee of the parliament after he retired. Nearly two decades after the accident, he suddenly experienced pain in both of his legs and was diagnosed with gangrene, leading to their amputation only 3 weeks after his first symptom occurred. While continuing to wait for a prosthesis and a better wheelchair, both issued by the Chernobyl Union, he spends his days immobilized in the small, modest flat he shares with his wife and his two daughters, Julia (24) and Anya (18, blond) © Gerd Ludwig 2005
5 octobre 2012
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

De toutes les catastrophes déclenchées par la main de l’homme de l’Histoire, Tchernobyl est considérée comme celle ayant eu l’impact le plus durable. Depuis qu’il y a effectué sa première visite en 1993, Gerd Ludwig a documenté les suites de l’accident avec ses photographies tragiques et empathiques – le réacteur détruit, la contamination du territoire, et les victimes sans nombre dans les régions des retombées.

Le 26 avril 2011 marque le 25ème anniversaire de l’accident de Tchernobyl. À 1h23, le réacteur n°4 de la centrale explosait après que les opérateurs aient raté un test de sécurité, provoquant un incendie qui dura plus de dix jours. Les retombées radioactives se répandirent sur plus de dix mille kilomètres carrés, provoquant le déplacement permanent de plus d’un quart de million de personnes. Vingt-cinq ans après, l’ombre noire de Tchernobyl continue de peser sur la région. Les images époustouflantes de Gerd Ludwig illustrent son propre credo : « la grande photographie touche l’âme et ouvre l’esprit. »

The Long Shadow of Chernobyl
Du 3 octobre au 25 novembre 2012
Kunst Haus
Nuremberg
Allemagne

POST ID: 18794

Abonnez-vous pour un accès complet à de L’Œil de la Photographie ! Des milliers d’images et d’articles, documentant l’histoire de la photographie et son évolution au cours des dernières décennies, à travers un journal quotidien unique.

À la une aujourd'hui

Derniers articles de la catégorie "Expositions"

Gardez l'oeil sur l'actu photo mondiale, Rejoignez notre Newsletter !

Chaque jour, recevez gratuitement l'actu photo mondiale et les événements du moment.

Installer notre WebApp sur iPhone
Installer notre WebApp sur Android