The Monastery

Aswan, Egypt, Dec 2005: After exploring some ancient tombs on the westbank of the Nile (featured here)- we decided to walk across the open desert to the ruined 7th century monastery of St. Simeon. It didn’t look far, but in the heat and harsh enviroment of the desert, it proved to be a bit more […]

The Centre

New Zealand, Dec 2011: At the close of the Second World War, this former Air Force base was converted into a “Mental Deficiency Colony” to house children deemed ‘backward’. By the mid 1970’s it had become the largest psychopaedic hospital in the southern hemisphere, with a population exceeding 700. The centre was “deinstitutionalisation” in 2005 […]

Tokaora

Taranaki, NZ, September 2012: Unlike all the other abandoned schools I’ve photographed, this one has a happy ending… Tokaora school- which has been empty for at least a decade- now has new pupils. A nearby school had to move premises, so have given this little country school a new lease of life…

The Hejaz Railway – part 1

Syria, November 2005: When I learnt that the Hejaz Railway was actually still operational, I knew I had to ride it. I’d always admired David Lean’s classic 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia”-and to actually ride the rails that T.E.Lawrence and his band of Arab rebels had so successfully attacked and destroyed- well it just had to […]

In Vivo

In vivo (Latin for “within the living”) is experimentation using a whole, living organism- as opposed to a partial or dead organism. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research. It includes “pure” research such as genetics, developmental biology, behavioral studies, as well as applied research such as biomedical research, xenotransplantation, drug […]

Incinerate

Wellington, NZ, yesterday: This former animal testing station lies broken and abandoned after twenty odd years. Theres few clues left as to what experiments went on here- they’ve disappeared like the unfortunate animal test subjects destroyed in the incinerators.

THB

One Way

Whanganui, March 2013: This former Hospital and rest-home for the elderly, has unfortunately taken a one way trip to nowhere… The state of the place has deteriorated dramatically since the last visit in 2012- the next visit I fear will show even more signs of neglect and vandalism…

The Tower

The iconic Hawera water tower has watched over this South Taranaki town for a century now. Standing at 55 meters high, the tower was saved from demolition after years of neglect in the 80s/90s had made it unsafe. Hawera (or “Te Hawera”) literally means ‘the burnt place’, and originates after an incident between two feuding […]