Kenny Mercredi, Resident, Uranium City, Saskatchewan, Canada

8”x20” palladium print from original in-camera negative

1/15 Limited Edition available.

When the Beaverlodge district mines closed on 30 June 1982, it led to economic collapse of Uranium City and most residents of the community left. Over the years, with a dwindling population and the closing of services, the designated Northern Settlement has been reduced to approximately 73 people. Kenny Mercredi is one of the remaining residents. He grew up in Uranium City and now divides his time between his home in Uranium City and a home in Arizona, USA. He spends his time fishing and taking visitors, as well as remediation personnel from the Saskatchewan Research Council and Cameco, around the mine sites.

The home has asbestos, as do almost all of the buildings in Uranium City, which means the house cannot be safely be renovated or improved; this in addition to the designation of Uranium City, means the house is essentially worthless. But the isolation, the landscape and people in this town keeps Kenny and his family returning every year. In this image, Kenny stands at the entrance of his garage, surrounded by signs and details collected over the years from the remains of the City.