River
Elena Chernyshova
from Days of Night, Nights of Day
Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia 2013
A river snakes its way through the frozen tundra seen from an airplane on it’s way to Norilsk. Norilsk, 400 kms above the Arctic Circle, is not accessible by road or railway. It can only be reached by waterways (when they're not frozen) and by air. People in Norilsk refer to the rest of the world as 'the continent'.
In the far north of Russia, Norilsk has a population of just over 175,000. It served as the Norilsk Corrective Labour Camp but was given town status in 1953 as the Gulag system was slowly winding down. Today the city is largely dependent on MMC Norilsk Nickel, the world's leading producer of Nickel and palladium. Over half of the population of Norilsk is involved in the natural resource sector. Vast underground mines tunnel 800 kms under the permafrost. Norilsk has temperatures as low as -55C with 130 days shrouded in snowstorms. For six weeks in winter the sun never rises, and for six weeks in summer the sun never sets. In 2001, the city was closed to all non-Russians
In her series ‘Days of Night, Nights of Day’ Elena Chernyshova studied this community living in almost complete isolation in some of the harshest environmental conditions imaginable, a testament to human adaptability, endurance and versatility.
Specification
Elena Chernyshova
Elena Chernyshova’s passion for photography started during her studies at an architectural academy. After two years working as an architect she quit her job and cycled from Toulouse to Vladivostok and back again: 30,000 kilometres, 26 countries, 1,004 days of intense and challenging experiences. During this journey Elena decided to become a photographer.
Photography allows Elena to delve into the daily life of communities and to investigate the effects of environmental, political and economic change. Her work tries to visualise the impact of human activity, ways of adapting to changing circumstances and the great diversity of lifestyles.
Your Print
When will I receive my print?
We produce prints in a batch every two weeks. Shipping can take up to one week in the UK, and two to three weeks internationally. Orders should be received within 3-5 weeks depending on your location.
What will I receive?
Your print will be posted flat, in a protective sleeve, to avoid damage or curling in transit. Prints come with a Panos Prints provenance certificate with background information about the image and the photographer.
The paper is A4 sized, the image will be smaller than A4 with a white border around it - see Image Specification for exact image size. Borders will be laid out as demonstrated by the print images on the site. We do not provide framing services and images of framed prints are only meant to be illustrative.
Print Care
Paper and ink
We print on Hahnemuhle Baryta FB, an archival fibre based 350gsm fine art paper. It is a bright white paper with a traditional character finish and heavy weighting. This paper has long been the industry standard paper for digital printing.
What is a giclée print?
Giclée comes from French and literally means ‘squirt’, referring to the spray of very fine drops of ink that produce an inkjet print. We print with archival paper and pigment inks to the accepted standards of fine art giclee printing found within the collectors market. Prints should last over a hundred years and with care longer than this. Avoiding extremes of light, heat and humidity will help prolong the life of your print.