Elena Chernyshova is a Russian documentary photographer who documented daily life in Norilsk, a mining city in the Arctic Circle with over 170,000 residents. Norilsk was constructed using prisoners from the Gulag system and relies heavily on mining and metallurgy industries. The documentary explores how residents have adapted to the extreme climate with average temperatures of -10C and frequent drops to -55C in winter, as well as the pollution and isolation of the remote city.

1. ELENA CHERNYSHOVA
Russian documentary
photographer
Photos: Lens culture
Music: Dmitri Hvorostovski
(Dark Night)
Author: Beatrice V

2. Elena Chernyshova
« 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 7th 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.