I was intrigued to read a story in the local press about a long-closed tourist hotel on my most recent trip to Ireland. I concluded that a brief stay was worthwhile on my subsequent travels. When I opened it, I was shocked to see what was inside! The rooms were completely reclaimed by ivy, ferns, and greenery! Here, nature truly got its just desserts.
Being near the ocean, it is likely that the wind and frequent storms in the region damaged the windows and carried water inside on a daily basis, contributing to its rapid growth. It’s unaltered, and a plethora of items are still present, including TVs, hair dryers, tables, books, seats, antique paintings, and glasses.It seems like you’re in one of those post-apocalyptic programs when people roam about an empty globe after humanity has vanished from the face of the earth, but you get the chance to explore such a wonderful environment. It seems unsettling, an incredible mood has been created, and I hope my photos faithfully capture the scene.
I adore deserted locations in general, but the areas that are overtaken by vegetation really catch my attention! I adore those structures when they give the impression that humanity has vanished from the earth, as in a post-apocalyptic setting. Furthermore, no one had visited this hotel in almost 10 years, thus it was in perfect condition!
Upon seeing those rooms, my initial opinion was that they all had the appearance of antique paintings! I felt quite fortunate to have seen such things. There are no abandoned drinks or graffiti all over the place. I was grateful to one of my Irish friends for taking me there! The rooms were small, so it took me a long time to visualize the frame. Because there was more room, it was simpler for the bar and restaurant.
I think the room that inspired me the most is the one I’m utilizing for my next book’s cover! There are two paintings that are still on the wall, adding a poetic touch to the abandoned space. There are ferns and mold growing everywhere, and a fire extinguisher that seems like it was used once before is lying on the ground. Because the hotel is directly in front of the waterfront, a vegetation floor has been developed. Even the phone by the drapes and the bed is still there!
Apart from the now-vacant tourist hotel in Ireland, I have seen other deserted places with just as interesting histories. And Kolmanskop is one of them! In the midst of Namibia’s Namib Desert, there stood a mining town. Motivated by the vast quantity of diamonds, people essentially built this town from nothing and turned it into a thriving metropolis. When a fresh vein was discovered in the south in 1954, the population of diamonds began to decline. It turned into a ghost town and is now entirely covered in sand. I spent a week there filming; the place has a surreal, mystical feel to it, as if time had frozen there years ago.
My work typically has an environmental message, even if it isn’t the first thing you see in this series of photos. My book, The World Without Us, explores what the world would look like in our absence, suggesting that if we carry on in this manner, one of the outcomes might be the extinction of mankind. When ivy takes over everything, I want to focus on that. We may imagine how the planet could appear if people vanished from it.This idea of the post-apocalyptic world fascinates us all. Perhaps in order to appreciate what we have and the time that is ahead of us, we must bear witness to it. As I’ve previously stated, the most important thing to me is that when people look at my photos, they tell their own tales.
