Berezniki

A project about a city collapsing due to the consequences of potash-magnesium salt mining. Groundwater is eroding the rock, deforming the supporting pillars between the mines, leading to man-made catastrophes: sinkholes, flooding, and earthquakes. The first pit, over 100 meters deep, appeared in 1986 in a forest, but the threat was ignored at the time. In 2007, a sinkhole swallowed a part of the mining territory, causing panic. Today, there are 11 constantly growing sinkholes in the city (5–150 meters in diameter, up to 100 meters deep), and it is impossible to predict new ones. The fenced and guarded sinkholes have become a symbol of the fragility of existence. They are transforming the landscape and daily life: districts have emptied, cracks gape in dangerous buildings, and there is no heating or water. In my work, I convey the atmosphere of a ghost town: wasteland where buildings were demolished, deserted landscapes, and a sense of doom.