By Lewis Bush

The Cold War ended in 1991, but its echoes can still be heard today. One example of this is Numbers stations, shortwave radio broadcasts of coded messages, believed to be intended for undercover agents in enemy states. Despite originating in the darkest days of the last century these transmissions continue today, with broadcasts occurring daily from locations inside countries including Russia, Cuba, and North Korea.

Shadows of the State is a photographic project by Lewis Bush which investigates these mysterious broadcasts and uses open source research techniques in an attempt to locate the likely transmitter sites of thirty of these stations. These sites are then mapped using high-resolution satellite imagery and displayed alongside radio spectrograms, audio recordings, and extensive information about each station.