Northernmost Piano

Pyramiden, the former Soviet workers’ paradise on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. At 79° North, the most northerly settlement on earth and thus home to the world’s northernmost piano, northernmost bust of Lenin, northernmost Olympic swimming pool… Epicentre of the impact of climate change, ironically, its economy was founded on the most reprehensible forms of environmental abuse, first whaling, then coal mining. In 1980, mining activity at Pyramiden was abandoned and only a token population remains, both to maintain Russia’s right to operate in a militarily significant location and to postpone their obligation to reinstate the pristine wilderness were they to leave. This series is part of an ongoing project exploring the environmental legacy of the Soviet Union.