abandoned house structuralist grid

Shot on October 3^rd, 2010, from 9:30am-3:30pm.

Myself and my mother got into our truck without a set direction, but ideas of where we would go. In my head I had vague ideas of houses I had passed by  many times but never really looked at in-depth. This was shot as a project for my production class at University. So from there it went!

I would say that my main love of photography is that of all things old. Antiques, old photos, old houses, anything to do with intriguing history and the passage of human beings through time. I find an old typewriter covered in dust not only beautiful, but it triggers my mind back to who owned it, looking to see what keys are worn, and wondering what letters and stories passed through it’s paper feed. It is this love that inspired me to document a staple feature of where I come from, abandoned rural houses.

I live in an area that is mainly agricultural, and spotted on the country side are these houses, that sit empty, and have been that way for years. Some of them are century-old houses, some have the bones of an old house but with a spruced up exterior, and some are newer, but look as if they’ve lived triple their actual age. Many of these houses still stand by themselves in a field because the small area of farmland would take years to yield the funds that are required to tear them down. Many of them have been left with the remnants of their inhabitants, some with dirty old furniture and appliances and not much else, yet some with piles of inanimate objects, family heirlooms, and priceless objects. Some lawns and adjoining sheds are even scattered with used objects like jars, socks, and mattress springs.

All houses except for one I did not have permission to venture onto the property or into the houses, so I shot them from a distance and used straight dead pan shots for this project. One property I did have permission to explore so I ventured across the property that also included a silo, an old wooden boat left sitting in trees, and at least three barns. It alone is a gem, which I will post photos of later on.

Enjoy!