Déjà il y a 6 000 ans, les riches sous-sols de la région de Norilsk ont attiré les hommes, dont les traces de passage ont été relevées par des archéologues. Mais la réelle histoire de Norilsk commence au début du 20eme siècle, lorsque l'expédition du géologue Urvantsev mettra à jour les riches gisements de nickel, cuivre et cobalt. En 1936, l'URSS débute la construction du complexe métallurgique et de la ville. Ce travail difficile dans un environnement polaire est confié aux prisonniers du Goulag, travaillant dans des conditions inhumaines. Les mines, les usines de Nickel et de cuivre et une grande partie de la ville moderne ont été construites par les prisonniers. Pendant plus de 20 ans, 600 000 prisonniers – dont plusieurs milliers ont perdu la vie - auront travaillé à Norilsk, pour sa construction et son exploitation. Sur la photo – les ruines de la maison de la culture dans la cité « Medvejii Ruchei ». Cette cité était la première colonie de Norilsk, construite sur une partie du Goulag en 1956 juste à côté de la mine ouverte de « Medvejii ruchei ». Dans les années 90 elle fut fermée à cause des difficultés d’entretien et de la complexité de l’infrastructure. Ses habitants ont été déplacés dans de nouveaux quartiers d Norilsk.

Elena Chernyshova

Days of Night – Nights of Day

Norilsk, in northern Russia, is (after Murmansk) the second-largest city within Arctic Circle, with a population of over 177,000. It is also one of the most polluted cities in the world. 2 million tons of gas rejected every year in the atmosphere, 100,000 ha of tundra in the radius of 30 km Is dead, the life expectancy is 10 years less than in other regions of Russia. Rich metal and mineral deposits make the region a nickel, cobalt, platinum and palladium, and Norilsk maintains the biggest metallurgical and mining complex in the world.

Norilsk was founded in the 1935s, and until 1956 operated as a Soviet Gulag. During 20 years around 500,000 prisoners labored there in the conditions of intense cold, starvation, and forced under construction of the mines and factories and the city itself. Norilsk endures an extremely harsh climate, with temperatures dropping below -50 ° C in the winter, and rising into the high 20s or 30s in the brief summer months. The city is covered in snow for 250-270 days a year, has frequent violent snowstorms and experiences polar night from November to mid-January, when the sun does not rise above the horizon.

 

 

 

Bio

Elena Chernyshova is a Russian documentary photographer, based in France. She was born in 1981 in Moscow, USSR. A self-taught photographer, she developed a passion for this visual language during her studies at an architectural academy. Photography for her is a way of investigating the daily life of different groups and communities in the context of environmental, political, and economic change. Her work aims at visualizing the impact of human activity, ways of adaptation, and diversity of lifestyles. In 2011 Elena received a grant from the Lagardère Foundation to create the photo documentary ‘Days of Night – Nights of Day’ about the daily life of the industrial city of Norilsk, 400 kilometres to north of the arctic Circle in Siberia. This series have been awarded by World Press Photo 2014, Days Japan Awards and others. Elena’s work has been published in National Geographic, Geo, 6 Mois, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Stern, Internazionale, Days Japan, Sunday Times and others.

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Elena Chernyshova

2 thoughts on “Elena Chernyshova – Days of Night – Nights of Day”

  1. these are really great images – i disagree with hharry above, i see the pollution in the sky with the factories and can get a sense of the rotten situation that it must be even though people are being people trying to make a life there. it is sad, and it is reality. i salute your courage to take this essay on, it looks like a difficult place to be and to commit yourself to. thanks, i loved it.

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