Modern Ruins Photo Gallery

December 26, 2005 10:27 AM

There have been a number of urban exploration or modern ruins photography posts here over the years, but I couldn't find any that linked to my new favorite modern ruin site, opacity.us. With 85 galleries of subjects as gorgeous as Bannerman's Arsenal and as haunting as the Verden Psychiatric Hospital, it's a treasure trove of entropy on film.
posted by jonson (18 comments total)

Nice link. A lot of these are new to me. This one, in particular, looks really cool.
posted by event at 10:47 AM on December 26, 2005

Never mind the effects of the Santa myth - what if your kids' daycare was next to this?

[this is great]
posted by hangashore at 11:03 AM on December 26, 2005

Amazing site. Fantastic post. Thank you.
posted by Gator at 11:17 AM on December 26, 2005

The picture are not big enough to make descent desktop wallpapers and the give-all-pictures-a-name stuff seems unnecessary to me.
Appart from that, thanks alot jonson, this site is truly marvelous christmass gift to me.
posted by denpo at 11:32 AM on December 26, 2005

The hospital looks like some 3d shooter map screenshots... or perhaps the screenshots look like the hospital. Either way, coming to a game near you...
posted by woil at 12:08 PM on December 26, 2005

This reminds me a lot of Derelict London, which I believe has been mentioned on the Blue before.
posted by LondonYank at 12:11 PM on December 26, 2005

Well played, sir. Great post.
posted by killdevil at 1:23 PM on December 26, 2005

awesome, indeed. my favorite old haunt
posted by Busithoth at 1:42 PM on December 26, 2005

I don't know what it is about these places but they fascinate me. It's probably me, but the hospitals and asylums seem to decay faster and more horribly than the other types of buildings. It's as if the residue of emotion and sickness make for an acidic atmosphere years later.

(I feel a short story coming on...)

Thanks for the post, jonson!
posted by ninazer0 at 3:10 PM on December 26, 2005

What sets this site apart is the quality of the shots. Denpo, you may have missed the extras section, which includes panoramas and desktop images.

Another site that I find interesting tells the tale of Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), off Nagasaki. The shots are nice, if straightforward; it's the tale of the island's "development" that is poignant.
posted by rob511 at 3:10 PM on December 26, 2005

I believe that site was linked here some time a few years ago, but no biggie, these are some of my favorite MeFi posts.
posted by HTuttle at 3:54 PM on December 26, 2005

great stuff but they need to sort out a better site. too faffy.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:44 PM on December 26, 2005

ignore that earlier comment. i am now engrossed with the old 'Lunatic Asylum'. Tremendous.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:47 PM on December 26, 2005

On the theme of abandoned hospitals, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Bloom, a installation project that honored the hospital building and its history just before it closed forever.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:09 PM on December 26, 2005

an installation project. An an an.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:10 PM on December 26, 2005

Looks like we broke it.

The "Eagle River" powerhouse was really cool, seeing as how all the machinery was still there.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:06 AM on December 27, 2005

Great Post! Ironically I came across this movie trailer today, for Freedomland ...! Might appeal to those that like the urban exploration sites, and the photography is a bit similar...
posted by HuronBob at 6:30 PM on December 27, 2005

.cool.

I had to come back to MeFi in a separate window to say thanks for the link.
posted by jaruwaan at 8:18 AM on December 28, 2005