Chernobyl Herbarium - fragments of an exploded consciousness by Michael Marder and Anais Tondeur

Radiographic photos by Anais Tondeur from the book the Chernobyl Herbarium

Michael Marder and Anais Tondeur use words and photos to describe the aftermath of the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl in their short book, Chernobyl Herbarium - fragments of an exploded consciousness 

As a child, Mr Marder's parent moved him to a seaside resort near Chernobyl to improve his respiratory condition.  He spent time unaware of his exposure to radioactive fallout. The irony of the event and the years taken from him by this unfortunate circumstance fuels his writing.

He expresses anger at the Soviets for covering up the problem. He bemoans the scarring of the earth creating toxic zones to fuel the need for energy. He would like us to be more like plants, taking in energy from the sun and converting it for our use.

The hauntingly beautiful plant radiographs by Anais Tondeur form a real life example of Buddist Tonglen meditation as described by Michael Marder. The plants take in the pain of the world and breath out a beautiful radioactive light. 

Inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, researchers are observing this post apocalyptic experiment to determine if humans or radioactivity are more harmful to animal and plant life. Thirty years after the accident National Geographic reviewed the effects of the Chernobyl exclusion zone on wildlife.

Chernobyl Nature 30 year later - National Geographic - 3 min.

Jim Beasley Chernobyl Wildlife - TED talk - 15 min.

Chernobyl Zone - 30 years after the disaster - 25 min.