Norilsk: Otherworldly photos of an Arctic city, Hacker News

“After two months, I started to… panic that the sun would never come back.” (Credit: Elena Chernyshova)

Chernyshova’s mother lived above the Arctic Circle as a child, making the photographer keen to explore what it was like to live in such extreme conditions. In this video, she explains how it felt to live in total darkness – and total daylight. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Edit: Paul Wheeler / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)

Located (km) 249 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, Norilsk is one of the coldest cities on Earth. The average temperature in winter is – 30 C, and it can dip below – 55 C. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova)

“The main idea was to talk about the adaptation to this environment,” says Chernyshova in this video. She describes how inhabitants of Norilsk have sun lamps, and cultivate plants, to counteract the harsh winters. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Edit: Paul Wheeler / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)

“Some sources say that during 20 years of existence of these camps, around 500, 000 people passed through them, ”says Chernyshova in this video. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)

Norilsk citizens call the rest of the world ‘the continent’. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova)

Norilsk has no ground links with the rest of the world. Chernyshova describes its isolation in this video. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)

In this video, Chernyshova talks about ‘ghost buildings’ – as well as buildings that have been abandoned due to the melting of permafrost. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)

Chernyshova explains why even big families continue to live in ‘Gostinka’, many of which are just 12 sq m in size. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)

Rich deposits were discovered in the area at the start of the 20 th Century – just outside Norilsk is the biggest metallurgical and mines complex in the world. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova)

Although data on pollution levels is varied, “there is a strong influence on the health of people,” says Chernyshova in this video. (Credit: Elena Chernyshova / Camera: Andrey Lapidus / Producer: Fiona Macdonald)