Corpse of the gone world

‘Dreamdealer’

Glowing with blazing gas inside, lover of cold night. In the world of grey even the slightest trail of colour was like a glimpse of a better world. Wonderful promise nobody ever expected to be fulfilled.

Seducing with vivid hues, the neons sold nothing but dreams. I bought quite a lot of them. Should I be broke by now?

The neon presented above is one of very few such remanants of soviet times in Poland. Years ago there used to be hundreds of classy neons all around the city, coming in incredible variety of colours and shapes. Now it’s only thanks to nostalgia living in people’s hearts that several survivors still illuminate the evening streets.

‘Insure your home with Common Insurance Company’!

‘Ribcage pt.2’

Skeletal construction formed by vertebral column, sternum and ribs. Contains heart and pair of lungs inside, protecting those most vital organs placed in thoracic cavity.

It was interesting experience to shoot in local Market Hall, juxtaposition of vivacity and cold stilness under one roof. Not too many people seem to rememeber about it’s over 100-years long history when running their errands there. It’s utilitarian role completely overshadowed crude beauty of concrete skeleton above our heads. It was very noticeable, as I was treaten as local curiosity when trying to find the right composition. Some folks were making fun, some others came to chat and joke with me. But there were also some very few people who rised their heads high enough to finally see and feel. I was pleased.

‘Ribcage pt.I’

Do you know where we are? It doesn’t really matter, just take a look around. You’re not alone, yet you know that only for you, only for a brief moment this impressive space is empty as if it was for a whole century. Magic happens only inside one’s head. How many times have you missed a silent beauty and unspoken wisdom, keeping your eyes down not to fall when living your life in wanton hurry?

Keep your head up sometimes. You won’t find happiness you’re looking for, but you still might get something of an equal worth.

‘Lucid’

I open my eyes. Oily puddles under my feet. I’m here again, in my dreams. Why out of all possible places is it always railway station? I’m utterly alone. No… it’s rather just a feeling. Loneliness, a chill piercing to the bone.

My coat flutters as trains sail through the trackway. They are all empty. I don’t want to travel by any of them, containing nothing but obscurity inside. I’m waiting for the one and only, so indefinite. When it finally arrives, why won’t stop at my platform? My open hand won’t reach it’s bright surface. Are the doors locked?

I close my eyes again. Darkness wraps around me. I’m home.

‘Playground’

I fell in love with this place at first sight. This primary school caught my eye with it’s concrete skin fully covered in extraordinary ‘tottoos’. Colorful murals hide insides unchanged for decades. It’s just like a soviet heritage park where children are trapped into a timeloop filled with grey.

There are no tickets to enter this museum. Just a jump over the rusty fence.

‘Pencil and Crayon’

That’s how those two skycrapers are named. Even though soviet to the bone, they’re not goners. Not yet. Actually, both are pretty alive as they serve as dorm for more than a thousand students.

‘Ołówek’ and ‘Kredka’ have slowly become a part of my everyday life. They are permanent element of the cityscape for almost 30 years, and such state won’t change soon. I have a feeling that if the apocalypse finally comes, two concrete skeletons will silently watch over the wasteland once called Wrocław.

‘Drill’

Click! We are back to railway station close to my heart. All the junk there must have felt really lonely, just take a look at this obedient row. Apocalyptic view.

‘Fin’

From where we began, we should end. Let’s take a quick glance at derelict city we leave behind.

‘Edge’

I adore broken windows, the only certain sign of abandonement.

It’s not a rare occurence that people live in completely decayed and wasted buildings. That’s actually common in old countryside reminding us of soviet times. But when the room invites us with empty frames, the matter is clear. No one lives there anymore.

‘Squall’

I wonder, who the creator of all the murals inside the building was. I want to meet him, talk to him. One thing for sure- this is the room where he used to live years ago. Through all this time his passion burns on a long dead walls.

‘Soft’

The only comfortable place in very personal and outrageous, abandoned room.

‘Look’

It’s slowly getting dark, so we better get inside an quite well preserved apartment building, one of the oldest in ghost city Kłomino.

We will use this chance to penetrate it’s obscure interior, but let’s take one last look outside. 

‘Illuminantur’

We’re going back on our little walk just to enter the first building up there. This chamber looks like it went through hell, yet it still was able to amaze me with heavenly game of light that took place inside.