After several months of traveling, Gerd Ludwig has been back in Los Angeles for a couple of weeks reviewing the photographs from his latest trip to Chernobyl, which was funded in parts by the German Kulturwerk foundation. Gerd will soon head to Vienna to start layout on a comprehensive photo book about Chernobyl, which will be published by Edition Lammerhuber in May 2014.

Gerd Ludwig’s iPad app, The Long Shadow of Chernobyl, has recently been updated to be compatible with the iOS 7.0 operating system. Both, images and text look stunning on the new iPad. Colors are more vibrant, and text is much sharper.

For more information go to:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-long-shadow-of-chernobyl/id484752718?mt=8

The ‘Stiftung Kulturwerk’ announces the names of the recipients for this year’s grants. The foundation is one of the largest sources for funding in the fields of photography, illustration and design in Germany. It carries out the cultural mandate entrusted with the Verwertungsgesellschaft Bild-Kunst and awards project grants to photographers, illustrators, graphic artists, graphic designers and film makers.
Amongst the projects that receive funding, is Gerd’s proposal “Chernobyl – A Different Search for Traces”.

The grant enables Gerd to return to Chernobyl for two weeks this fall to add another segment to his long term project.

For more information on the Stiftung Kulturwerk, visit:
http://www.bildkunst.de/en/vg-bild-kunst/stiftung-kulturwerk-cultural-foundation.html

To see more about Gerd’s work in Chernobyl, visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/the-long-shadow-of-chernobyl/id484752718

The exhibit “Der lange Schattten von Tschernobyl/The Long Shadow of Chernobyl” is being shown at the convention of Germany’s Green Party in Berlin from April 26-28. In addition, the delegates watch a projection displaying 20 of the photographs during a minute of silence, commemorating the Chernobyl accident on the date of its 27th anniversary.

Just before the 27th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe new troublesome reports come out of Fukushima, several news outlets report.

“Fukushima cleanup hit by significant setbacks” – Wired.co.uk

“Fukushima nuclear plant struggling with rat problem” – The Telegraph

“Is radiation from Fukushima to blame for a THOUSAND malnourished seals washing up on California beaches?” – Mail Online

“Tuna caught near California still have traces of Fukushima radiation” – RT Network

Of all manmade environmental catastrophes in human history, Chernobyl is considered to have caused the most lasting impact. Since his first visit in 1993, Gerd Ludwig has been documenting the aftermath of the accident in dramatic and compassionate photographs — the failed reactor, the contamination to the land, and the countless victims in the fallout regions.

April 26, 2011 marked the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. At 1:23am, the nuclear power plant’s reactor #4 blew up after operators botched a safety test, triggering an explosion and a fire that burned for 10 days. The radioactive fallout spread over tens of thousands of square kilometers, driving more than a quarter of a million people permanently from their homes. It was the world’s worst nuclear accident to date. Twenty-five years later, the long shadow of Chernobyl continues to darken land and lives. Gerd Ludwig’s stunning and in-depth documentary images exemplify his own credo, “great photography touches the soul and broadens the mind”.

This exhibition of over 50 photographs spanning Gerd Ludwig’s long-term project will take place at the Kunst Haus in Nuremberg Germany from October 3rd through November 25, 2012.

Kunst Haus: http://www.komm-bildungsbereich.de/