Since 2013 I have been working on a long term project in Kiruna - a small city north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The work 'Night time tremors' examines how changing landscapes caused by iron mining effects people’s lives.
The people of Kiruna face a peculiar fate: their hometown is in danger of being swallowed by a giant iron ore mine. The city developed over the last century in direct response to the iron ore mining that is the primary source of income in the area. Now that very mining is causing the city’s collapse. Iron is extracted via underground explosions that cause the earth to tremor every night. Each blast results in cracks in the landscape, with the impact moving slowly but steadily towards the city of Kiruna. For the past few years there have been efforts to move large parts of the city, but it's a slow process that is influenced by a variety of factors and the citizens have become wary about their futures and the future of the city.
It’s unimaginable to me to lose all references to the past and memories of one’s hometown, houses, streets and schools. Daily life in Kiruna is overshadowed by the situation yet I encountered people stoically facing their precarious fates. In 'Night time tremors' I capture a place where normalcy continues on unsteady ground, both literally and figuratively.
