Night Time Tremors

A project about the mining city Kiruna in Northern Sweden.

In my project Night Time Tremors I explore a unique city in transition. Kiruna, a small city north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, faces an uncertain future, 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 from Kirunavaara Mountain via underground explosions that cause the earth to tremor every night. Each blast results in cracks and deformities 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. The citizens have become wary about their futures and the future of the city.

Night Time Tremors captures a place where normalcy continues on unsteady ground, both literally and figuratively.