Beauty in the Decay
Preface:
If you’re really in the mood for some storytelling, throw on some headphones, or get into a comfy chair with a good sound system and let this music play as you read.
When I look back through my non-family, non-travel photography over the years, I’ve had a few sessions that I am consistently happy that I did when it was available: abandoned places.
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but something about observing an abandoned place that once had a halcyon season is really moving to me. I think about the people that used to gather at that location, the people who lived there, their struggles, quarrels, vanities, successes. What led to the decline? Was it a sudden illness? A bitter break up of partners? External sociological trends and a failure to gentrify?
I think what appeals to me is the distinct sense of time passing beyond a single person’s lifetime.
It’s a reminder that the average human lifespan is incredibly temporary. And while that may have a tinge of sadness to it, these days I find it a little more centering than melancholy.
It’s a brilliant reminder to really consider the things that we end up getting stressed about. If we had a better long form view of how short all of this really is, would we waste as much time arguing, fighting, etc.?
Whether it’s a store or a school, at one point in this abandoned place, a couple was arguing over which item to purchase…or a child was a little hungry after recess and crying about having to do schoolwork. And that’s all over now. All that’s left of any of that is the shell of a building, with debris, trash and construction materials left as an unintentional monument to someone having lived their days in this place.
RAF Fairford
Since we have now been restricted to being on base, I decided to take some time to really explore. Creative limitations can often produce surprising results. The base itself isn’t as beautiful as many of the places that I got to go in the first week, but that’s completely separate from there being interesting things to shoot.
RAF Fairford is considered a standby or “warm” base, meaning it’s not fully manned for most of the year, but it can quickly be spun up to support specific operations. Because of that dynamic, it has several sections of the base that are essentially abandoned. There several foundations where buildings used to be. Running paths are overrun with growth. Decaying buildings, etc. The parts that are in current use are kept up, but those buildings are clustered together in certain parts of the base.
One building that’s near us is an old Commissary (that’s military speak for “grocery store”). Yesterday, around sunset, I decided to walk over there and poke around a bit. It was haunting and fascinating. It gave me some The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, Fallout 4 vibes.
What do you think? Is decay fascinating to you, or just depressing?
