Eric Lusito

This is a New Scientist article: Former Soviet scientific megastructures captured in striking photos /article/2524565-former-soviet-scientific-megastructures-captured-in-striking-photos/ These colourful photographs capture the remains of what was once a constellation of Soviet scientific megaprojects, all intentionally designed by the state to replace religious objects of worship. Photographer Eric Lusito gained access to many of these Soviet sites for his new book, Soviet Scientific Institutes. Starting in Ukraine, Lusito spent four years travelling across the former Soviet Union, liaising with scientists and visiting many locations that had remained shuttered since the fall of the Soviet Union. #newscientist #science

Article in The Guardian about the book : Reaching for the stars: enduring symbols of Soviet science – in pictures. French photographer @ericlusito takes us on a scientific journey through space and time in a book on Soviet scientific institutes, out now from @fuelpublishing ⁠ /artanddesign/gallery/2026/may/03/symbols-of-soviet-science-in-pictures

The Spanish literary magazine Quimera @revistaquimera has published an issue devoted to paranoia and the society of control (a good summary of the USSR). The cover features my photography of sabotaged gas masks found in an abandoned Soviet military base. There is also an interview about my work at the end of the issue. The interview is also available online: /post/entrevista-al-artista-invitado-eric-lusito This issue explores how suspicion becomes a way of interpreting the world, permeating discourses, institutions and narratives. Amidst tyrannies, dystopias and critical fiction, literature emerges as a space in which to interpret—and question—contemporary mechanisms of control. Thanks to Elina Cerla and Jofre Casanovas for this publication. 🇫🇷 : La revue littéraire espagnole Quimera publie un numéro consacré à la paranoïa et la société de contrôle (une bonne définition de l'URSS). La couverture présente ma photographie de masques à gaz sabotés, trouvés dans une base militaire soviétique abandonnée. On trouve également une interview sur mon travail à la fin du numéro. L'interview est aussi disponible en ligne: /post/entrevista-al-artista-invitado-eric-lusito Merci à Elina Cerla et Jofre Casanovas pour cette publication. #revistaquimera #paranoia #control #gazmask #militaryruins

In Soviet Scientific Institutes photographer Eric Lusito takes us on a journey through time, space and science. Gigantic control panels, monumental telescopes, inexplicable machinery – the facilities he documents might be found in comic book and graphic novel fantasies or the science fiction of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. The Soviets promoted science as a utopian ideal to replace religion and rapidly modernise the country. 'Big science' projects, primarily for Cold War military purposes, involved thousands of researchers working in complete secrecy. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many institutes were left destitute, their sophisticated technology condemned to extinction. But some scientists persevered, adapting to the new landscape. Today, defying the odds, they persist – even in wartime – to continue their work. The first visual account of this once closed world, this awe-inspiring publication bears witness to our never-ending quest for knowledge. 160x200 mm hardback 208 pages ISBN: 978-1-0682946-0-0 Book by @fuelpublishing Video by @artbook #photobook #sciencebooks #nonfictionscience #scifibooks #sovmod #historybook

The cover of the book Soviet Scientific Institutes, by Eric Lusito, published by FUEL @fuelpublishing in April 2026. In Soviet Scientific Institutes, French photographer Eric Lusito takes readers on a journey through time, space and science. Gigantic control panels, monumental telescopes, inexplicable machinery—the facilities he documents might be found in comic book and graphic novel fantasies or the science fiction of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. But why were these institutes built and what purposes do they serve today? The Soviets promoted science as a utopian ideal to replace religion and rapidly modernize the country. “Big science” projects, primarily for Cold War military purposes, involved thousands of researchers working in complete secrecy. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many institutes were left destitute, their sophisticated technology condemned to extinction. But some scientists persevered, adapting to the new landscape. Today, defying the odds, they persist—even in wartime—to continue their work. Syhcrotron, high-voltage laboratory, nuclear research reactor, radio telescope, cyclotron, stellarator... Lusito gained unique access to sites across former republics and satellites of the USSR—from a cosmic ray research center in the remote Armenian mountains, to one of the world’s largest radars located in Ukraine, which locals believed to be a climate-altering weapon. Featuring a cover with a tactile laser-cut pattern replicating the punched paper tape used by early Soviet computers, Soviet Scientific Institutes is the first visual account of this once-closed world. Lusito’s photographs capture the unintentional and unexpected beauty of scientific technology and bear witness to our never-ending quest for knowledge. ISBN ISBN 978-1-0682946-0-0 / / #bookcoverdesign #sciencephoto #sovietscience

Poster for my exhibition at the "Chez Arthur et Janine" gallery during the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival in 2024. /expos.htm ❤️Arthur et Janine

My article about the situation of Ukrainian astronomers published in Science. A shattered window to the radio sky Amid Russian attacks, Ukrainian astronomers fight to salvage a unique observatory Read the story here: /content/article/amid-russian-attacks-ukrainian-astronomers-fight-salvage-unique-observatory /p/C9Kq7_kMeMx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Glory to Ukraine ! #Ukraine #Astronomy #Telescope #News #Science #ScientificCommunity #ScienceMagazine #ScienceNews #SciencePhotography #ScienceVisuals

The cover of the July 2024 issue of Physics World features a photograph from my new project documenting scientific institutes built during the Soviet era and their current state. Physics in Ukraine: scientific endeavour lives on despite the Russian invasion Read the story here: /a/physics-in-ukraine-scientific-endeavour-lives-on-despite-the-russian-invasion/ Glory to Ukraine ! #physicsworld #scienceforukraine #historyofscience

After the Wall - Traces of the Soviet Empire by Eric Lusito Dewi Lewis Publishing wilewis.com/collections/rare-out-of-print/products/after-the-wall/ ISBN: 978-1-904587-75-0 Hardback, 120 pages, approx. 100 colour photographs 240mm x 297mm

After the Wall - Traces of the Soviet Empire by Eric Lusito Dewi Lewis Publishing wilewis.com/collections/rare-out-of-print/products/after-the-wall/ ISBN: 978-1-904587-75-0 Hardback, 120 pages, approx. 100 colour photographs 240mm x 297mm

After the Wall - Traces of the Soviet Empire by Eric Lusito Dewi Lewis Publishing wilewis.com/collections/rare-out-of-print/products/after-the-wall/ ISBN: 978-1-904587-75-0 Hardback, 120 pages, approx. 100 colour photographs 240mm x 297mm

Mig-21, 126th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Mongolia. Project "Traces of the Soviet Empire". #abandoned #ruins #soviet #ussr #ссср #militaryaviation #militaryhistory #airplane #mig #mig21 #aviationlovers #sovietunion #soviet #sovietairforce #coldwar #coldwarhistory #urbanexploring #abandon_seekers #abandonedplaces #itsabandoned #заброшенныймир #4x5film