Eric Lusito
This project explores the once closed world of scientific research centers built during the Soviet era.
In 2021 I met in the city of Kharkiv a scientist who agreed to show me his laboratory listed as "National Treasure of Ukraine". I discovered a fascinating universe that reminded me of the comic books of my childhood. My curiosity was aroused and I decided to find out more, embarking on a journey from Ukraine to Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Romania, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. I also returned to Kharkiv to document the situation of scientists facing the war.
Over the last hundred years, science and technology have deeply transformed our societies. The USSR appeared to be the most exalted by the power of science, up to the point of irrationality. These utopian worlds of Soviet modernity were embodied in “big science” projects involving up to several thousand people. The USSR spent lavishly to build ever bigger and more sophisticated machines, and eventually became a technological superpower. Once prestigious, the status of scientists changed radically after the collapse of the system.
Each country now independent inherited these installations that are often too expensive and complicated to maintain. Facing many challenges, they are currently in a wide variety of situations. Some have become obsolete or remain unfinished. Others continue to operate, more or less well. Some have been successfully modernised. Finally, new projects are being introduced.
Synchrotron, high-voltage laboratory, nuclear research reactor, radio telescope, cyclotron, stellarator… are both to my eyes like enigmatic sculptures and a little-known patrimony that deserves more attention. These unique monumental installations built in the 30s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s or later are spanning one hundred years of physics up to today's most advanced laboratories These photographs, beyond observing technological evolution, also bear witness to our never-ending quest for knowledge.
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Specific publications on the consequences of the war for Ukrainian scientists:
-Physics World (UK): Physics in Ukraine: scientific endeavour lives on despite the Russian invasion
-Science (US): A shattered window to the radio sky - Amid Russian attacks, Ukrainian astronomers fight to salvage a unique observatory
