Fairfield photography instructor Morgan Post's exhibit, titled U 92, Contamination from West to East, will feature photographs documenting the environmental impact of uranium mining in Utah, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011.
As young adults become more involved in raising awareness of the impact of human activity on the environment, this exhibition and interdisciplinary panel are particularly timely.
— Marice Rose, PhD, chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department
Fascinated by environmental problems seemingly hidden in plain sight, Morgan Post, photography instructor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, has dedicated his latest research to investigating the unforeseen radiological disasters that plague communities, nations, and ecosystems around the world. Over the past several years, he has been compiling his work into a massive multidisciplinary project to document the environmental impact in Utah of uranium mining for nuclear power. Last fall, he received permission from the Japanese government to visit and photograph the site of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster – the most severe nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
Next month, Post's captivating photographs of Utah and Fukushima will be publicly displayed for the first time, in Fairfield University’s Lukacs and Experimental Galleries on the ground floor of Loyola Hall. His exhibit, titled U 92, Contamination from West to East, will be on display from February 3 to 28, and is free and open to the public.
“My focus is to educate the public on the widespread ecological and anthropogenic disasters from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and uranium mining in the south-east section of Utah and the Navajo Nation,” Post said. “The systemic widespread contamination from this resource demands our attention and call to action, to protect the residents of this planet.”
For the past three years, Post has been collaborating on the project with students and faculty from Fairfield University, Utah Valley University, and Long Island University, as well as non-university collaborators including Light and Noise in Washington, D.C., Uranium Utah, Dr. Rock from the Navajo Nation, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), and the Japanese Environmental Agency. The result is a massive multi-disciplinary project that provides a visual and audio record of damage done to these fragile landscapes, inhabitants, communities, and ecosystems.
“The mines and contaminated areas photographed, filmed, and mapped are a plea to reverse this sense of manifest destiny and control over systems that are uncontrollable,” Post explained. “I hope to engage in a conversation that is honest and real about nuclear power and its untamable nature.”
In conjunction with Post’s exhibit, the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Visual and Performing Arts will host a public reception in the galleries on Tuesday, February 18, at 5 p.m., followed by an interdisciplinary panel discussion. Panel members include David Downie, PhD, professor of politics and director of the Environmental Studies program; Matthew Kubasik, PhD, professor of chemistry; Peter Bayers, professor of English and director of the American Studies program; and Lauren Cesiro, instructor of visual and performing arts.
“What struck me when I first saw Morgan’s photographs of Fukushima and Utah was that neither series includes images of people, but they are infused with evidence of their actions and lives, and our collective human responsibility,” said Marice Rose, PhD, chair of Fairfield University’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts. “As young adults become more involved in raising awareness of the impact of human activity on the environment, this exhibition and interdisciplinary panel are particularly timely.”
For more of Post's work, visit www.morganpoststudio.com.
