Post-industrial Stories is a long term documentary project done by Romanian photographers Ioana Cîrlig and Marin Raica. The project explores life in Romania’s monoindustrial communities, with a focus on the changes in the lanscape, the relationship between man and his environment, between man and his lifelong job.
Romania has been heavily industrialized in it’s over 40 years of communism. Every town had a industrial centre and people from all over the country were moved to urbanize the areas around mines and factories. Huge industrial centers were built in rural areas, changing the landscape completely. The factory workers and the miners were the country’s pride, idealized and portrayed as heroes.
Monoindustrial communities suffer a depression after the loss of the central activity. Everything used to revolve around the industrial center. Everybody worked there, the community’s celebrations, sports events and cultural activities were funded and organized by the industrial center. In most monoindustrial towns no new jobs have been created since the industrial center got closed. This is a very common situation in Romania, one that affects a large portion of it’s population.
