Visions of Silence – Chernobyl 32 Years Later

At 1:23 a.m on 26th April 1986 Chernobyl in Ukraine hit the world headlines when neuclear reactor no 4 at the VA Lenin power plant exploded during a safety test. The result saw 49,000 people from the city of Pripyat and the surrounding area being evacuated within 3 hours. They were told this would be a short-term measure but they never returned! 32 years later I visited the exclusion zone of Chernobyl & spent 4 full days exploring the now deserted wilderness. Homes, shops, schools & hospitals sit silent and forgotten with trees growing in the middle of once busy roads. You could walk through the city for hours yet never see another sole. I wondered around with my camera in hand constantly in awe by the beauty that is decay. My visit to the exclusion zone really left a mark on me. So much so that I’m heading back to further document this truely magical & unique place.