ULTRADISTANCIA BLACK MINES SERIES
As I gaze upon the sky, I behold the gods. But as I cast my gaze down to the earth, I uncover this figures. These deities and beasts are not inherently good or evil, but simply perplexed by our human existence, staring back at us from their respective realms.
In the ULTRADISTANCIA series MINES, open pit mines from around the world are transformed into captivating creatures carved from the very earth itself. High-resolution satellite images of Russian diamonds, North American iron ore, Australian gold, Argentine silver, and more are all reimagined as fascinating beings composed of the earth's depths.
After the launch of ULTRADISTANCIA in 2016, the acclaimed satellite art project that garnered the attention of critics and media, I began experimenting with digital craft techniques to bring these figures to life on the earth's surface.
About Ultradistancia Mines
Each piece of the MINES series is a real open pit mine captured by satellites, meticulously crafted without altering the original topography, to unveil the figures and personalities hidden within.
While the original ULTRADISTANCIA series explored the incredible patterns and geometries crafted by man and nature, as seen from above, and the possibility of traveling without movement through satellite imagery, MINES delves deeper, unveiling animalistic, anthropomorphic, and incredible figures in places where the hand of man has drastically altered the terrain.
It took me a shift in perspective, a higher vantage point, and a keen eye to uncover the MINES. Once discovered, they will be impossible to unsee.
Federico Winer
“Always in search of incredible patterns and geometries, naturally made by Mother Nature or produced by people, Ultradistancia is an invitation to discover from above, hidden forms from our human perception”.
— ArchDaily
“Federico’s latest series on mines is a hit with mining companies, all competing to commission Federico with works on their mines. Perhaps this is because is the first time that art has taken mines as an object and for a wealthy industry is a “must have”.
— SOAR Medium
"Ultradistancia channels this whimsical understanding of travel into a stunning art project, turning the world into a petri dish of colors and shapes that requires no migration at all.
— The Huffington Post
"Winer’s newest series, Monsters Of Mine, focuses on the alien shapes created by open mines. Endless hours of travelling the world using Google Earth has led to a selection of eye-catching images of Russian diamond mines, North American iron ore mines, Australian gold mines and many more”
— OPUMO MAGAZINE
"These complex works of art, many of which are commissioned by companies and institutions, are the result of endless hours of artistic skill and technical expertise. They represent a successful example of the intersection of art and a powerful industry that has not traditionally been associated with creativity and beauty."
Bloom Lake Mine in Canada for Champion iron Minerai de fer Quebec
Altan Tsagaan Ovoo (ATO) gold mine in Mongolia for collector.
La Coipa Mine in Chile for Kinross
Round Mountain Mine in Nevada, US for Kinross
Panuco Mine in Mexico for VIzsla Silver Corp
Navajo Mine in New Mexico for Forbes Magazine
ANTELOPE. Wyoming, USA - Antelope mine in Wyoming is a large coal owned by The Navajo Transitional Energy Authority (NTEC), in Navajo Country - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
MUTANDA & DEZIWA. Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo - The Mutanda Mine and the Deziwa Mine are open-pit copper mines. Mutanda is majority-owned by Canadian Glencore and Deziwa by Chinese CNMC. The complex composition of the work includes the two adjacent mines, the town of Kisenda on both banks of the Lualaba River and the Tilwezembe mine south of town. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
LAKE BLOOM. Québec, Canada - Champion Iron flagship high grade iron project in Fairmont, Québec. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
LAS TRUCHAS. Michoacán, México - Las Truchas is an iron ore mining complex located in Michoacán, integrated by two open pit mines: El Volcán y El Mango. Began operation in 1976 as a Mexican government enterprise. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
BALD MOUNTAIN. Nevada, USA - The Bald Mountain Mine is a large gold mine in the northern Nevada. It is an open-pit, run-of-mine, heap leach gold mine with conventional heap leaching technology and carbon absorption for ore treatment. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
BHP MNINIG AREA C Pilbara, Australia - The Area C mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The South Flank is Australia's largest new iron ore mine in more than 50 years. Together with Mining Area C, it will form the largest operating iron ore hub in the world. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
MADRE DE DIOS. Madre de Dios, Perú - Madre de Dios located in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon is an large area of ilegal and irregular gold mining. Over the past decade, small-scale illegal gold miners have transformed the landscape from tree-covered marshlands to a desert pockmarked with polluted ponds, leaking mercury into the local food web. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
YANDI Western Australia, Australia - The Yandi mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-west of Newman. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
NORTH MARA. Mara, Tanzania - North Mara Gold Mine is a combined open pit and underground gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
CORDERO ROJO Wyoming, USA - The Cordero Rojo Mine is a coal mining complex located in the state of Wyoming in the United States, in the coal-rich Powder River Basin. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
CORTA ATALAYA. Andalucía, Spain - Corta Atalaya is the largest open-pit copper mine in Europe and was at one time the largest in the world. It was actively mined until 1992, now is flooded but is expected to be reopened soon. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
CORTEZ PIPELINE. Nevada, USA - Cortez Gold Mine is a large gold mining and processing facility in Lander and Eureka County, Nevada, United States, located approximately 75 miles (120 km) southwest of Elko. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
LAS BAMBAS Cotabambas, Perú - Las Bambas copper mine is an open-pit copper mine in the Cotabambas province of Peru. With over a billion tons of copper ore, the deposit is one of the largest in the world and produces 2% of global copper. Las Bambas also produces molybdenum concentrates. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
EKATI Northern Territories, Canada. The Ekati Diamond Mine (named after the Tlicho word meaning ‘fat lake’, in the language spoken by the Tłı̨chǫ of the Canadian Northwest Territories) is Canada’s first surface and underground diamond mine. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
GOLDSTRICKE Nevada, USA - Goldstrike is a gold mine in Eureka County in north-eastern Nevada. It is located on the Carlin Trend, a prolific gold mining district. It is owned and operated by Barrick Gold. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
KARELSKIY-OKATYS. Karelia Republic, Russia - The KARELSKIY-OKATYS mine is a large iron mine located in north-western Russia in the Republic of Karelia, 50 km of the border with Finland. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
KOPETO North Province, New Caledonia. Népoui - Kopéto nickel center are one of the biggest deposits of the nickel industries in the island of New Caledonia - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
OLYMPIC DAM. South Australia, Australia - The Olympic Dam mine is a large poly-metallic underground mine. It is the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium in the world. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
OYU TOLGOI. Ömnögovi, Mongolia - The Oyu Tolgoi mine, also Oyuutolgoi, is a combined open pit and underground mining project in Khanbogd sum within the south Gobi Desert, approximately 235 kilometres east of the Ömnögovi Province capital Dalanzadgad - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
PALABORA. Limpopo, South Africa - Palabora is a copper mine in the town of Phalaborwa, in South Africa's Limpopo Province, located directly adjacent to the world-renowned eco-tourism attraction, the Kruger National Park. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
CHIRANO. Western Region, Ghana - Chirano Gold Mine is an underground and open pit gold mine in the Western Region of Ghana, within the Bibiani gold belt. It is 90% owned by Toronto-based Kinross Gold Corporation. The Government of Ghana has a 10% carried interest. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
PARTIZANSK. Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia - “The dancing monkey”. Gold deposits near the Angara river in the Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
ROUND MOUNTAIN. Nevada, USA - The Round Mountain Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in Round Mountain, Nevada. The mine is operated and owned by Kinross Gold. Mining at Round Mountain occurred as early as 1906, using underground techniques. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
TASIAST. Inchiri, Mairitania - The Tasiast gold mine is an open-pit gold mine in Mauritania, owned and operated by Kinross Gold. The mine is located 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of the capital of Nouakchott in a wadi called Khatt Atui. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
UDACHNY. Sakha Republic, Russia - Mined to a depth of more than 630m, Udachny diamond mine is one of the 10 deepest open-pit mines in the world. The mine was discovered on 1955 but the mining activities began in 1971. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
US BORAX. Califormia, USA - The Boron Mine is California's largest open-pit mine and the largest borax mine in the world, producing nearly half the world's borates. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
WORSLEY. Western Australia, Australia - Worsley Alumina, a bauxite mine, one of the largest alumina producers in the world, facing the lake Ballingal in Western Australia - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
YANACOCHA. Cajamarca, Perú - Considered to be the fourth largest gold mine in the world, it produced 0.97 million ounces of gold in 2014. Located in the northern highlands of Los Andes Mountains at 3,500 and 4,100mts. - Archival Pigment Print Photography, Limited Edition.
PUEBLO VIEJO. Sanchéz Ramirez Province, Dominican Republic. - The Pueblo Viejo mine is a gold mine located in the north-central region of the Dominican Republic in the Sánchez Ramírez Province. It is the largest gold mine in the Americas and the eighth largest in the world. It is also the first exploited mine by the Spaniards in America. The mine produced 581,000 ounces of gold in 2018 and 6.55 million ounces of gold in reserve
SPRING CREEK. Montana, USA - Spring Creek Mine is a surface coal mine, operated by Navajo Transitional Energy Company, and owned by the Navajo Nation in Decker, Montana, United States
NAVAJO. New Mexico, USA - Navajo Mine is a coal mine located 30 miles southwest of Farmington, New Mexico on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Is operated by the Navajo Coal Company.
CALLIE-TANAMI. Northern Territory, Australia - The mine is located in the remote Tanami Desert of Australia. The mine and plant are located on Aboriginal freehold land that is owned by the Warlpiri people and managed on their behalf by the Central Desert Aboriginal Lands Trust. Tanami is a Fly-in, Fly-out (FIFO) operation in one of Australia’s most remote locations. Tanami is 270km from its closest neighbors, the remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu.
COBRE DO SOSSEGO. Pará, Brazil - Cobre do Sossego is a copper mine located in Brazil, in the state of Pará. It is an open-pit mine and has been in operation since 2008. The mine is operated by Vale and is considered one of the most technologically advanced copper mines in the world, using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to extract copper ore from the earth. The mine has an estimated capacity of 150,000 tonnes of copper per year, making it a significant contributor to Vale's overall copper production. However, the mine has also been criticized for its environmental impact and the displacement of local communities.
MIRNY. Sakha Republic, Russia. - The Mir mine was the first developed and the largest diamond mine in the Soviet Union. The mine is more than 525 meters deep, has a diameter of 1,200 m, and is one of the largest excavated holes in the world. Open-pit mining began in 1957 and was discontinued in 2001. Since 2009, it has been active as an underground diamond mine.
ALUMBRERA. Catamarca, Argentina. - Bajo de la Alumbrera is a copper, gold & molybdenum mine in Argentina, located 2600 mt over sea level in the Cordillera de los Andes.
MISSION. Arizona, USA. - The Mission Complex, an open-pit mine composed of the Mission, Eisenhower, Pima, Mineral Hill and South San Xavier properties and the nearby North San Xavier mine. The current pit, 2.5 miles long by 1.5 mile wide and 1,200 feet deep, is situated on 20,000 acres. Benches are 40 feet high.
MOUNTAIN IRON. Minnesota, USA - Mountain Iron Mine is a former iron ore mine which has proved to be the largest deposit ever discovered. Mining operations at the site ceased in 1956. It was was proclaimed a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
NEW CORNELIA. Arizona, USA. - The New Cornelia mine is an inactive open-pit copper mine in Pima County, Arizona. The mine was shut down in 1983 due to low copper prices
NORTH ANTELOPE ROCHELLE. Wyoming, USA. - North Antelope Rochelle Mine is the largest coal mine in the world. Produces more than 100 million tons of coal in per year. Part of the Powder River Basin, a geologic structural basin in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming known for its coal deposits.
KIRUNA. Lapland, Sweden - Kiruna is the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine located in Norrbotten County, Lapland, Sweden, 145 kilometers north of the artic circle.
SOLEDAD-DIPOLOS. Sonora, Mexico. - Soledad-Dipolos mine, located in the State of Sonora, is a surface gold mine close to Puerto Peñasco in the pacific desert of Sonora.
LETLHAKANE. Central District, Botswana. - Letlhakane, meaning "little reeds”, is a diamond mine in Botswana.
PORGERA. Enga province, Papua-New Guinea - The Porgera Gold Mine is a large gold and silver mining operation in Enga province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), located at the head of the Porgera Valley. The mine is situated in the rain forest-covered highlands at an altitude of 2,200 to 2,700 m, in a region of high rainfall, landslides, and frequent earthquakes.[1]. Porgera Gold Mine is the second largest mine in Papua New Guinea and is regarded as one of the world's top ten producing gold mines
ÄMMÄSSUO. Espoo, Finland. - Old Ämmässuo Landfill is a waste treatment centre of ash and slug from the waste-to-energy plant, covering an area of 52 hectares near Helsinki in Finland.
BLACK THUNDER. Wyoming, USA. - The Black Thunder Coal Mine is a surface coal mine containing one of the largest deposits of coal in the world. Black Thunder is the second most productive mine in the United States, providing the U.S. with eight percent of its coal supply.
BODDINGTON. Western Australia, Australia. - The Boddington Gold Mine is a gold and copper mine. The mine has now become Australia's largest gold mine, producing 20.1 tonnes of gold and 77 35 thousand tonnes of copper.
CADIA. New South Wales. Australia. - Cadia Mine is a series of large underground and open-cut gold and copper mines. It is the second largest open cut mine in Australia after the Super Pit at Kalgoorlie.
CARAJAS. Pará, Brazil. - Discovered entirely by accident in the late-1960s when a helicopter was forced to land on a hill in the area, Carajas become the largest iron ore mine in the world. Also manganese, copper, tin, aluminium and even gold are extracted there.
CERRO VANGUARDIA. Santa Cruz, Argentina. - Cerro Vanguardia mine is a number of small open pits deposits of gold and silver as well as underground explorations. It is located 150 km north west of Puerto San Julian, in the south of Argentina’s Patagonia.
DAUNIA & POITREL. Queensland, Australia. - Daunia and Poitrel are coal mines in Queensland. Located within the Bowen Basin, which is filled with fluvial and marine sediments. The Bowen basin is a part of Permo-Triassic Basin along with the Sydney and Gunnedah basin
DIAVIK. Northern Territories, Canada. - In the remote, subarctic canadian landscape the Diamond Diavik mine complex was constructed in 2001 with production commenced in 2003. It is connected by an ice road to Diavik Airport. The mine is located 220 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle
EVOLUTION COWAL. New South Wales, Australia. - Situated within the Bland, Lachlan and Forbes Shires on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri People, Cowal gold mine has a production 251,500 ounces this year.
HIGHLAND VALLEY. British Columbia, Canada. - The Highland Valley Copper mine is the largest open pit copper mine in Canada, located near Logan Lake, British Columbia. It is an amalgamation of three historic mining operations: Bethlehem (later Valley Copper), Lornex and Highmont.
HULL RUST MAHONING. Minnesota, USA. - The Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine in Hibbing, Minnesota, United States, is the largest operating open-pit iron mine in Minnesota. The pit stretches more than 5 km long, 3 km wide, and 163 m deep was established in 1895 and was also one of the world's first open-pit mines.
OLIMPIADA. Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. - Located in Russia’s most prolific gold mining province, the Olimpiada mine is one of the largest gold mines in the world. The mine has estimated resources of 47.37, and reserves of 30.01 million oz of gold. The ore mined at the site is processed at three plants with a combined capacity of 13 mln tonnes of ore annually.
PROMINENT HILL. South Australia, Australia. - Prominent Hill, a copper-gold mining operation in northern South Australia with two underground mines accessed through the open pit: the Malu mine extends vertically below the bottom of the open pit and the Ankata mine. Ankata means dragon lizard in a local indigenous language.
SALOBO. Pará, Brazil. - The mine, the largest copper deposit ever discovered in Brazil, is estimated to hold more than 1 billion tonnes of the red metal.
SIERRITA. Arizona, USA. - Sierrita open pit has been in operation since 1959 and is a copper and molybdenum mining complex, located in the Sierrita Mountains of Arizona, in the southwestern part of the United States.
TELFER. Western Australia, Australia. - A copper and gold mine located in the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia on the land of the Martu indigenous people.
THIO. South Province, New Caledonia. - One of the largest nickel deposits in the world, is the oldest mine in New Caledonia.