The „Monotown“ project explores a human in Industrial Landscape as an Environmental Disaster Zone.
Monotowns are small localities that are scattered like invisible grains all over the Russia. A monotown (a calque from Russian” monogorod”; gorod meaning "town") is a single industry town, whose economy is dominated by a single industry or company.
Monotowns in the territory of modern Russia were established during Soviet times under the Soviet Union's command economy.
In market conditions, the system of "one enterprise - one town" turned out to be unstable. The monotowns, built for industry, not for people, are poorly livable places.
The prefix mono- in the word "monotown" reflects not only the economy, but also the layout of the town. Monotowns look very monotonous consisting of identical buildings. The landscape contains traces of local environmental disasters and crisis.
My project is focused on the Nickel monotown in the far north of Russia, not far away from my native city of Murmansk.
I explore the dystopic landscapes of the monotown and their connection with humans forced to in these conditions. Humor and clear desire for a bright life are opposed to the monotony of the industrial landscape and the deceased nature.
