For the past three years, this bold and big-thinking photographer has located and explored some of the world’s most vast abandoned spaces, from power stations and cooling towers to gigantic castles and expansive mines.
For Matt Emmett, “these places are far more interesting than the ‘official’ world heritage locations or tourist attractions.” He focuses on ruins that inspire awe and eschews dilapidated cities and derelict neighborhoods for a purer experience of forgotten places that show no trace of recent human occupation.
Silence is part of the key. “From the point of view of a photographer there is a total lack of distraction in the stillness of a derelict building; the sound and movement associated with people or workers has been removed, for me this makes them far more sensory than when they are occupied. Your mind can easily focus on what is around you and takes in so much more.”
His recent destinations include large-scale industrial and military complexes with huge interiors and giant-sized artifacts that engender awe through sheer scale. Signs advising no entry, prohibited access or trespasser prosecution only make these building infiltrations more intriguing.
