Reclaimed

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This is a guest post by photographer Andrew Querner. I came across Andrew and his work only a few months ago. The choice of subject and photographer that Andrew has chosen to blog about and is inspired by only reinforces his style of photography, which reveals sensitivity and respect to the land and to the people. I’m happy that Andrew agreed to contribute – Enjoy!

Public swimming pool, June 2003 ©David McMillan

In the book, The World Without Us, journalist Alan Weisman imagines a planet suddenly freed of all people.  He deftly navigates the hypothetical human-less landscape asking how Mother Nature might react to the burden suddenly lifted.  Left to her own natural devices of reclamation, how long would it take for the planet to reach its natural equilibrium again?  Among other things he asks what would become of our built environments- our cities- as time goes by.  In reading this book I am reminded of David McMillan’s work surrounding the Chernobyl exclusion zone.  His fascinating pictures begin to offer some graphic answers to Weisman’s queries.

On his website he writes:
“I soon realized that the city of Pripyat, where the employees of the nuclear power plant and their families once lived, was where my real interests lay. The Atomic City, as it was once known, was considered one of the finest places to live in the former  Soviet Union. The first apartments were built in the mid-seventies, when the power plant was under construction, and at the time of the accident, it was home to 45,000 people. There were all the amenities of a modern Soviet city, with many schools, stores, hospitals, and recreational and cultural facilities. It is now uninhabitable and will never be lived in again.”

Hotel room, October 2004 ©David McMillan

Since 1994 McMillan has made numerous trips, often revisiting the same scenes, but years apart.   In adding the dimension of time to the photographs, he effectively reveals the impressive resilience of nature and the surprising fleetingness of what was once “one of the finest places to live in the former Soviet Union.”

While many photographers have addressed the current human struggle of those living around Chernobyl and the reactor’s ongoing tragic legacy, McMillan’s work seems to make an equally thoughtful statement about our collective impermanence.

View of Pripyat, October1994 ©David McMillan

Public swimming pool, October 1996 ©David McMillan

©Andrew Querner

Andrew Querner is a documentary photographer currently residing in Canmore, Alberta. Andrew’s work can be viewed on his website. He also maintains a personal blog.

— by Aislinn Leggett on May 29, 2009. Filed under Documentary, Guest Post

About Aislinn

Aislinn Leggett is a Montreal-based visual artist. You can learn more about her work on her website and on her personal blog. You can also follow her Twitter @aislinnleggett and on Facebook.