Elena Chernyshova - Days of night - nights of day

 

© Elena Chernyshova

France-based photographer Elena Chernyshova (b. Russia, 1981) photographed the extreme conditions and human tendency towards normalcy in the city of Norilsk, located in Siberia, 400km north of the arctic circle. Reachable only by air, and occasionally boat, this mining town is both remote as well as surprisingly populated – 175,000 in the greater city region.

The documentary was held in Norilsk between February 2012 and February 2013.

The documentary was supported by the Lagardère foundation grant for photography.

« Days of Night – Nights of Day » is about the daily life of the inhabitants of Norilsk, a mining city northernmost of the polar circle with a population of more than 170 000.  The city, its mines and metallurgical factories were constructed by prisoners of the Gulag.  With 60% of the present population involved in the industrial process, this documentary aims to investigate human adaptation to extreme climate, ecological disaster and isolation.
Norilsk is the 7^th most polluted city in the world.  The average temperature is -10C, reaching lows of -55C in winter, when for two months the city is plunged into polar night.
The living conditions of the people of Norilsk are unique, making their plight incomparable.

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