Pyramiden is one of the many abandoned settlements that litter Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. This Soviet era coal-mining town served as a location for showcasing the latest Soviet architecture, culture, and technology. Once home to 1,000 people, Pyramiden was abandoned in 1998. The residents were told to pack a single suitcase and leave everything else behind. Now the wind whispers their memories down streets empty of people, inhabited by polar bears and reindeer. Elizabeth Philotera Bourne’s goal was to capture a sense of the pathos and the magnificence that once was Pyramiden.
