Most of us will never know what it's like to be inside the eerie 30 kilometre exclusion zone that was set up around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant following the 1986 nuclear disaster. It's estimated that it'll take 20,000 years before the area is safe for humans to occupy thanks to extraordinarily high levels of radiation.
There are tours that run through the now abandoned ghost town, but if you want a safer way to get a sense of the zone, Melbourne photographer p1xels is opening an immersive, walk-through exhibition of photography, soundscapes and light installations inspired by a visit to Chernobyl. The photographer, known for documenting the work of some of the country's leading street artists, is promising an "experience space" alongside her photography, so you may just come across the bumper cars that feature in some of the most famous imagery to ever come out of the zone. Her photography focuses on how nature has come to reclaim this formerly busy town in beautiful and unexpected ways.
The exhibition, called Alpha Beta Gamma, will be its own oasis of art in Melbourne's concrete jungle of a CBD, at a location that will be revealed 24 hours before its official opening on August 9 at 6pm. Entry is completely free, but you need to register on a guest list to attend between August 9 and 16.