As a Japanese artist working with analog photographic techniques that are rapidly in decline, I felt a need to capture a physical record of the worst man-made nuclear accident in history.

A photograph can be created by electromagnetic radiation other than light. Radiation and visible light are similar forms of energy, they just travel in different wavelengths. Using cameraless processes, I wanted to capture the current state of Japan directly, by exposing photo-sensitive material to traces of radiation emitted from contaminated particles.

Through visualizing the traces into visible form, the resulting images will speak to us beyond the photograph, and perhaps they will be a valuable asset and documentation for future generations.

Exposure’s Process