m22 (Nail Gaynulov, Vlada Oleynik)
Spots
Installation (analogue autoradiography, sculpture)
2025
The installation consists of a series of photographs of bird feathers obtained using autoradiography, a method used to detect and visualize traces of radioactive pollution. A specimen is placed onto X-ray film, and over time leaves behind a visible trace in areas where there are accumulations of radionuclides.
The other aspect of the project is the sculptural depiction of parts of bird skeletons. The goal is to explore the influence radiation has on live organisms and imagine how birds could change over time when exposed to radiation for prolonged periods. Basing their assumptions on real scientific data on skeletal pathologies in humans caused by ionizing radiation, the artists have developed imagined scenarios of how avian skeletons might adapt to radiation — the strengthening or partial disintegration of bone tissue, and the appearance of unexpected compensatory bone formations.
The project was inspired by a series of studies conducted at the locations of nuclear disasters. For example, a 2014 study by the British Ecological Society found that wild birds in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exhibited gradual physiological adaptations to radiation, including changes in their plumage colour (partial albinism) and bone deformations. This shows that radionuclides not only pollute ecosystems but also influence wildlife on a deeper, genetic level.
The artists draw attention to the fact that while exposure to radiation is often perceived as a one-off catastrophe, it in fact comes hand in hand with technological progress. In the modern world, radioactive nuclides are not just produced through nuclear disasters, but also by coal power plants and other industrial processes of fossil fuel combustion.
Without giving any definitive judgements on the consequences of current and future changes, the artwork invites visitors to take part in a dialogue about the transformative and invisible power radiation holds over life on Earth.
This project was created in collaboration with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR)
Spots
Installation (analogue autoradiography, sculpture)
2025
Radiation leaves traces. On feathers, bones, and generations.
The installation consists of a series of photographs of bird feathers obtained using autoradiography, a method used to detect and visualize traces of radioactive pollution. A specimen is placed onto X-ray film, and over time leaves behind a visible trace in areas where there are accumulations of radionuclides.
The other aspect of the project is the sculptural depiction of parts of bird skeletons. The goal is to explore the influence radiation has on live organisms and imagine how birds could change over time when exposed to radiation for prolonged periods. Basing their assumptions on real scientific data on skeletal pathologies in humans caused by ionizing radiation, the artists have developed imagined scenarios of how avian skeletons might adapt to radiation — the strengthening or partial disintegration of bone tissue, and the appearance of unexpected compensatory bone formations.
The project was inspired by a series of studies conducted at the locations of nuclear disasters. For example, a 2014 study by the British Ecological Society found that wild birds in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exhibited gradual physiological adaptations to radiation, including changes in their plumage colour (partial albinism) and bone deformations. This shows that radionuclides not only pollute ecosystems but also influence wildlife on a deeper, genetic level.
The artists draw attention to the fact that while exposure to radiation is often perceived as a one-off catastrophe, it in fact comes hand in hand with technological progress. In the modern world, radioactive nuclides are not just produced through nuclear disasters, but also by coal power plants and other industrial processes of fossil fuel combustion.
Without giving any definitive judgements on the consequences of current and future changes, the artwork invites visitors to take part in a dialogue about the transformative and invisible power radiation holds over life on Earth.
This project was created in collaboration with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR)