Abandoned. - A Photo Essay

I’ve always been fascinated by empty spaces. Desolate towns, lonely streets; I’m pulled to them. They offer a chance to see something only showcased in films and video games, and get a glimpse of life without humans.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you might know I work in cinema, as part of the electric department. Over the past weekend, I was the gaffer on a music video that shot in an abandoned hospital in Gary, Indiana, which is about as scary as it sounds.

While the location was frightening, it did give me the opportunity to explore one of these forgotten locations I pine for, and take photos of the interior for documentation and inspiration. The shots I took can be seen mixed in on the Digital and Chromatic pages, but I thought I’d isolate them on the site as they were in reality, and showcase them separate from the rest of the work. These are those photos.

The main entrance had long since been closed, blocked by debris and taken over by plants. The windows had been smashed, probably by trespassers entering the building, looking for something to destroy.

The hospital was filled with rooms of all shapes, not just the clean medical rooms I had been expecting. Most of the rooms looked like they belonged in an apartment building, or office complex. A room without furniture offers little in the way of clues towards it’s usage.

Without any central power, the hospital was almost pitch black on the interior. In the main hallways, it was near impossible to  determine the time of day. It was only by stepping into a room were you able to tell the time by the filtered Sun.

The floors were littered with debris and asbestos, creating small pools of grime and sludge. There were hazards abound, like the peeling lead paint everywhere, as showcased in this photo. It was odd to see the original paint colors shine through the layers.

This room had large lights housing fluorescent tubes hung by their cords from the ceiling. A drainage pipe dangled loosely in the room, dripping at a random interval. Small plants poked through the mess to get a hold in the sun.

Regardless of age, all destroyed buildings in my experience offer decay both natural and man made. And yet, the light through the windows is comforting and familiar no matter the location.

Small conversations existed in the graffiti, responses that were never recorded sit and wait for a viewer.

When exploring an abandoned place like this, often the most unsettling images are that of life.