Kristina Sergeeva & Kristina Shkileva
Train to the Future, 2024
Nizina Publishing

Created during the PolArt residency in Norilsk

In the course of history, a city forms its own unique identity, establishes its local cultural code, and establishes its own «ecostyle» of space. However, in addition to the internal way of life, cities have also developed an external vision of the place, which is often piled with prejudices and superstitions. For our project, we went on a photo expedition to Norilsk, a city associated with permafrost, lack of light, depressing landscapes and dark history. We wanted to discover the contemporary folklore of a city where a borderline understanding of time coexists. «Train to the future» is a retrofuturistic journey into a future that has already arrived. In the process of researching one city, we tried to capture the image of contemporary Russia by mythologizing the surrounding space. Relying on the associative process, the project is built on interpretation and randomness, which is created by the place in the process of free search.