Urban Exploration

There are very few frontiers left to conquer. The age of the intrepid explorer is long since dead and names like Livingstone, Scott, Gagarin, Cousteau, Columbus and Polo are but distant memories. Their spirit of adventure and their passion for the seeking of new frontiers, came to shape the way we see this ever decreasing ball of earth and water. In a world where there are no more undiscovered countries, a few photographers hold on to this almost archaic notion of exploration to document the rise of urban decay.

We live in a world that has learnt rapidly how to downsize. Humans have become experts in retrenchment, the art of reduction which has led to abandonment and desolation. Ghosts are all that are left of medical facilities, mental institutions, military bases and even holy ground, abandoned by the shrivelling shadow of economic prosperity. We are living in an age of austerity, which allows ministers to play roulette with our money, while taxes tie a gordian knot around our throats.

In the midst of all of this downsizing is the urban explorer, documenting the shockwave of economic decay. Urban exploration, or urbex, is the underground photographic art of capturing dereliction in urban landscapes. There are many websites dedicated to this form of documentary photography, a simple google search will give you almost two million hits worldwide, a clear indication of our global fascination with decay.

The erosion of our landscapes embodies the diminished capacity of wealth. And yet it breeds the souls of true frontier photographers, seeking to record the destruction of the passage of time. There is something about a room that looks like it has been sandblasted by time that raises the imagination, as if the captivation of unfolding decay holds a primal enchantment for the human eye. The transience of urban landscapes; chipped paint, broken windows, empty stairwells that creek by themselves and whispers in torn out walls, are bleak shutter fodder, but inspires a dark beauty. From the darkest soil, the brightest flowers bloom.

The first rule of urbex, is not to talk about urbex. Sites dedicated to urban exploration are as secretive as the illuminati and they are wary of newcomers. However, they do encourage that novices learn ad hoc and that they share their findings with the group. And the photography is freely available to view, just don't ask too many questions about explorations, especially about security and directions to the sites. If there are hordes of people trampling their way through these derelict places eventually security will be tightened and the locations themselves will become worn away by the 'tourist' explorer. The seasoned explorer is there simply to trap the passage of time in the lens and although you will find pictures all over the web of such locations, few photographers are in it for the glory.

Urbex photographers leave only a ghostly presence. They do not vandalise what they photograph, the idea is to simply document what is there. The urbex mantra of 'take only photographs, leave only footprints' is an indication that the photographers should not be a part of the decay they are capturing. Many have created an alter ego, as if anonymity is a prerequisite to being a true urban explorer, yet a spirit of adventure, a sense of reckless abandon and a sturdy camera is all that is needed to become a true urbex photographer. The hazards of asbestos, rotten floor boards and ceilings are hidden treacheries in the hollow shells that are explored, along with dogs and security guards. Urbex photography is not for the faint hearted, but what would an explorer be without the adventure?