subsoil (ongoing)

Subsoil is a journey 500 meters below the earth’s surface into the mysterious tunnels of the last coal mine of Italy, in the southwest of Sardinia. And its 3-year transition towards a coal-free future. According to the Italian law, coal mines must close and change their face by 2025. This ongoing project aims to document the decline of coal in a territory historically marked by mining and its consequences on the local mining community.

As of today, the Sardinian mining site still supplies coal for nearby thermoelectric power, but has begun to implement new programs ranging from waste to quantum physics. For instance, with its 500 meters deep wells, the plant will host an underground cryogenic distillation tower for the study of the dark matter. I approached the Sardinian mining community in June 2022 and visited the plant and the underground twice so far. Miners call it “the subsoil”. I have established a good relationship with the community and will cover the closure of the mine with a focus on both human and infrastructural changes.

Nuraxi Figus, Italy | June 2022 – ongoing