Rationally, unused or neglected spaces are unwanted and should be redeveloped, cleaned up, reintegrated and smoothed out, but these are some of the most visually arresting spaces that we can experience. The juxtapositions of detritus and junk, overgrown patches of weeds slowly reclaiming their territory from cracked concrete and tarmac. Crumbling brickwork and car parts reflected in overlapping planes of broken glass. Blocked doorways and piles of broken furniture or machinery seen through rusted and twisted metal widow frames and gates. Scraps of clothing left by other visitors, or dragged in by nesting animals, fractured routes and inaccessible stairways: the derelict site provides a schizophrenic subject for the photographer.
One of my classmates, Zuleika, is making a magazine which includes several photo essays from around the world on the theme of abandoned spaces. I submitted a piece of writing on the subject.