How do you feel when you pass a decaying old house? Is it just an ugly ruin or you see something more? Photographer Rebecca Lilith Bathory sees beauty in these objects most people just seem to pass by or even avoid. Sure, they are sad, ruined, chaotic and even scary – but Rebecca finds beauty and art precisely in these things.
In 2012, she stepped into an abandoned school and instantly fell in love with the beauty she found in decay. Five years and over 500 abandoned locations later, she brings a stunning photo series of truly wonderful abandoned locations in her project Orphans of Time.
Rebecca’s love for decaying urban places turned her life into an adventure. She’s constantly in search of new places to discover and capture. As she points out, she enjoys “revealing the romance and the memories of the ruins.” As the nature takes over, these places will be completely vanished and forgotten, and as I see it – her photos save them from disappearing.
Her search for exciting new places took her to different parts of the world. She visited Fukushima and was one of few photographers to capture the aftermath of the terrible 2011 disaster. She traveled to the 13 countries of former Soviet Union and captured all the beauty and sadness of forgotten towns and their buildings, from schools to death camps. Five years and thousands of miles later, here are some of the photos from Rebecca’s latest project:
As a result of Rebecca’s travels, exploration and passion, there have come two books: Soviet Ghosts and Return to Fukushima. After traveling for five years and collecting the images for the Orphans of Time project, she is getting ready to publish the third book. She’s running a Kickstarter campaign to publish the book by herself, and it will feature 200 full color photos of the most wonderful abandoned places she’s visited. If you enjoy urban exploration, you can make a £40 or higher pledge on Kickstarter. In return, you’ll get a signed copy of Rebecca’s book, and depending on the pledge, you can also get framed and signed artwork.
I’m a huge fan of urban exploration, and as you can guess – I really love and enjoy Rebecca’s work. Even if this genre is not your cup of tea, still – visit Rebecca’s website, Facebook or Instagram and check out her work. Step into her world of urban decay, and like she did in 2012 – you might just fall in love with it.
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