r/lostplaces

"The series Planetarium (2020) explores the phenomenon of internal colonisation in Russia through the lens of bland abandoned cities in Russia’s Far North. In the 1930s and 1940s the USSR began an active settlement and industrial development of the Arctic." (Lumiere Gallery)

"In most instances it transpired that the large-scale projects implemented to assimilate the north were utterly pointless, leaving in their wake the remnants of the induced trauma – abandoned cities. [...] Using portable flashes, I turn the light on deserted flats, recalling the lives that were cast to one side in the drive to realise a totalitarian utopia." (Danila Tkachenko)

More works by Tkachenko in this week’s edition of As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty, my newsletter on modern and contemporary art.

Video link

When entering a tunnel that has been sealed for years, it is essential to conduct a preliminary assessment of the internal atmosphere. To do this, it is advisable to insert the gas detector through the smallest possible opening, thus minimizing exposure to potential accumulations of gases trapped for long periods, some of which can be toxic, asphyxiating, or even lethal.

It is not uncommon for the detector to start sounding alarms in sealed tunnels even before fully approaching the obstruction. In some explorations carried out in seemingly well-ventilated mines, significant concentrations of methane (CH), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and other hazardous gases

have been detected, both due to their toxicity and their explosive potential.

Safety must always take precedence over any other objective. Upon detecting hazardous gases, even if the affected area appears limited to a few meters, the most prudent course of action is to abandon the exploration and turn back.

Hatten leider keine guten Lampen dabei

The town of Skalar in Iceland. Abandoned around 1955. Not much is left.