27,000 cubic meters of highly radioactive waste—produced by a few people in a short period of time. The waste emits deadly radiation and will outlast future generations. The German government is searching for an underground repository that will keep humanity safe from this nuclear waste for one million years.

One million years. This time span reaches far into the future of humanity and is comparable to evolutionary scales. It will be necessary to communicate the location of this repository and the nature of its contents over this period of time. With the current search for a nuclear repository, nuclear waste has become part of our modern heritage. Nuclear waste is cultural heritage. What conclu sions will future generations draw about our societal self-image? When will we become aware of the present that was once ours?

one million years, a collaboration between Jann Höfer and Martin Lamberty, is a photographic exploration of the nuclear legacy of our time. It is an attempt to make the limits of the imaginable—as well as an invisible danger—visible.

This project has been supported by the Nikon fotobus Grant.