Monday, October 5, 2009

Into The Closed World of State Mental Hospitals

Mental institutions - especially the palatial old ones - are some of the creepiest places on Earth. At the same time, they're institutional design and unusual contents make for beautiful photographic opportunities. Christopher Payne chronicles many of the late 19th and early 20th century buildings in his new book, Asylum. As the synopsis on the book states, "in the second half of the twentieth century, after the introduction of psychotropic drugs and policy shifts toward community-based care, patient populations declined dramatically, leaving many of these beautiful, massive buildings—and the patients who lived in them—neglected and abandoned." Maddeningly beautiful shots:







5 comments:

Dom said...

These are stunning photographs, and it's amazing how clean some of those buildings / rooms look... the abandoned places I've visited in Germany and back home in the UK are either dirty or mould-infested or both.

Leo said...

these are fantastic. i love the lone bath tub

rob said...

great photos mate, i follow you alot, going to be including some of your photos on my website if you dont mind ? , i'll link them to you.. contact me on my website tell me if im ok to do so

got you bookmarked, keep it up

Richard said...

disturbing and amazing at the same time. Enjoying your blog!

sara said...

i love this post...my two favorite concepts in one- creepy things to frighten me a bit- and beautiful photography.

-sb

 
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