Reinforced concrete factory, Vyksa (Выкса), Nizhniy Novgorod region (Нижегородская область), Russia, 2008, june


( what is behind trees? +28 )

Moderators: Please feel free to remove this if inappropriate... With that.


I was in Reno late last year and noticed that the Fitzgerald Casino had been closed. I was wondering if there were any photos of it or if anyone had attempted to photograph it. I think it would be an interesting site to explore. But that is just my opinio

Hello again community, I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday.

For this entry I am going in a different direction than usual.
These images were taken at an old school for handicapped children.
I have given the location the title "School of Light and Shadow"...
What sets it apart from my norm is that I photographed these while the place is being torn down.

I tend to stay away from things like this.
Usually I try to capture photos of locations that have avoided any damage by human actions.
I enjoy how things happen in nature, and how the bits of wild slowly crawl back into a place.

I was actually inspired to so this by an entry made here, in this community.
It was titled "The Death of Transfiguration", posted by thehoodwatch
The entry was about the "death" of a church, caught literally in it's last moments.
I felt a sense of pity for the thing, sitting there missing pieces, awaiting it's final blows.

So, here's my own take on a similar subject...

History on this place is very vague, I spent hours researching it and dug up but a few sentences.



It seems that it was built with the intention of being a school for disabled children,
both mental and physical. The presence of hydrotherapy tubs reinforces this information.
Further research disclosed that a Dr. Harry C. Storrs was appointed as superintendent of the school on July 1, 1930.
This is interesting because Dr. Storrs had been the first assistant physician at Letchworth Village since December 1919...

Present day the school campus lays abandoned in a field.
At least half of the structures are gutted completely, any items of value having been scrapped.
This includes all the steel doors and windows...
In fact we had to avoid the scrappers while filming, and though we kept a good distance away from them,
we could hear their machinery in the background our entire time there.

These skeleton structures have a surreal look and feel to them, half building and half open-air.
The low winter sun cast long shadows across the decaying floors, now left open to the elements.
Leaves blow through hallways that, until recently, were sealed with stale air and the smell of rot.

This is the school's final stage, it's last form before disappearing forever.
I hope my photos and our video serve as a fitting eulogy...






( Farewell... )

Repino (form. Kuokkala), St-Petersburg, Russia

2amtomorning
If you find yourself at the crossroads of insomnia and insanity, this is the place to channel those demons that keep you sleepless. Vivid pictures, poetry, ruminations, and confessions from the nether hours between dusk and dawn. Originally formed to celebrate the city at night, there's a strong urban theme.

green_future
Dedicated to promoting global sustainability, this community offers a forum for discussing current environmental news, research, and issues with tips on how to make positive, pro-active changes to reduce carbon impact. You'll also find information on how to get involved in eco-activism and learn about events near you (i.e., act local; think global). Offering a wealth of data on earth-friendly products and practices, you'll be inspired to don an organic bamboo cape and save the planet.

wtf_sexism
Self-described as "a little community with a lot of rage," you can soak up impassioned vibes and read blistering exposes detailing sexist attitudes in the news, pop culture, and science! A must-join community if you are, or love, a feminist. (NB: the topic of whether a "man" can be a feminist is outside the scope of this spotlight, but will probably wind up on the Writer's Block.)

There's more than one in this category that's relevant to us...but this is my favorite.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/photocontest/6th-annual/6th-americana-6.html

Tikhvin, Russia

 ( I think we can cut you a deal..... )

As a regular reader of this web site, It was only now that I register myself. The reason is pretty simple: I finally purchase a decent camera to start uploading pics and because, my brother did an amazing finding that I would like to share with you guys.

Context:

On a business trip to Angola, he took a small tourist ride to the interior of this country. And on the waterfalls of "Duque de Bragança" a strange building caught his attention on the other side of hill.

After some time he went there again to check it out.

He took some pictures and when he returned to Portugal and showed to the rest of my family, some members recognized that building and provided some pictures taken in the 1970's.
After the independence of Angola in '74, in was completely abandoned.

Anyway, the land where this building stands was purchased by a company who plans to demolish it. The thing is that, it is one of the finest examples of modern Portuguese architecture in Angola and it should be restored. It would reveal some maturity to one of the fastest growing economies in the world.  

Hope you enjoy.
Diogo













Back Then..



Back Then..(still the same eheh)

I guess you could argue, "Can playgrounds be abandoned?" I am not 100% sure but I think it counts. When children no longer play on them, are they abandoned or just boring or unsafe? You can close the fences or the gates but you can't really board up a playground. Can you condemn one? I don't know. I think cities just tear them down and/or replace them. I think playgrounds are most beautiful on their last legs. Rusting with peeling colors and memories.



As a teenager I became interested in old playgrounds simply as a place to hang out. It was fun and usually nobody else was there so my friends and I could get away for a while.

We discovered Holiday Island the summer after High School. It was once a nice gated community and I had known some kids that lived there but I never visited. I don't know why, I guess it's just what time does to things, but Holiday Island just became less and less of a nice place to live.



Holiday Island had (has?) a clubhouse exclusively for its residents. It was (is) on the river and it had a swimming pool, a basetball and a tennis court, and a playground. The streets were mostly private drives and were named after trees and nautical objects. As I was driving through recently I noticed one of the streets was named "Pirate's Landing" and thought how much I'd like that as an address.

My friends and I discovered the playground at a marching band cookout held at the clubhouse in 2003. It was held there because of the swimming pool but I fell in love with the playground. I moved away that summer but I went there to hang out with my friends many of the times I went home. Excluding the band cookout, I don't think I ever saw children playing there. They shouldn't have either. It was probably dangerous. As I have noticed with a lot of playgrounds, newer equipment was put in front of the old stuff. Children played on that, but the older metal structures just sat sadly in the back. As time went on, the older parts slowly disappeared. I don't think today's children are as brave as we once were. They have just been spoiled by smooth plastic and wood chips, probably.


( You're probably going to need a tetnus shot... )

Lurking around my estate looking for things to photograph for my AS project, I came across an abandoned house, hidden in brambles in the woods. It was literally falling down - I visited once in the wind and a wall collapsed on me.

I don't know how long it's been abandoned for, but I would suggest at least fifteen years - the only evidence of people having been there I could find was a scrap of newspaper from November 1996

A few of these photographs have my younger brother in them; I was making some pithy statement about youth growing up in a decaying world or something. Apologies for the quality, my scanner sucks.

( +6 under the cut )

Went for a walk in the snow with some friends and passed by this abandoned farmstead tucked away on the back end of their property.



( More photos )

x-posted

Old abandoned house near Apple River, Nova Scotia.

( old house... )