States of Decay: Urbex New York & Americas Forgotten North East

by Daniel Barter (Photographer), Daniel Marbaix (Photographer)

If America is the Roman Empire of our time then New York City is Rome. The pulsating heart of the West pumps greenbacks through the veins of Manhattan, the richest place in the world. Power emanates from it's corporate brains and financial muscle across the whole surface of the globe. So how is it that even in the body of America, land of eternal youth, there is failure, death and decay hidden just beneath its glossy surfaces? A new breed of urban adventurers take a savage ride through the invisible story of the North Eastern USA. From NYC to the infamous Rust Belt, once home to America's heavy industry, States of Decay brings you a glimpse of the broken, the doomed, the entropic dreamlands on the flipside of the silver dollar coin. A unique exploration of everything from abandoned power plants, hospitals, asylums, schools, theatres, steel mills, prisons, factories, hotels, cathedrals, blast furnaces, convents to a boat graveyard. This extended photo-essay functions as a visual poem allowing the reader to draw their own experiences and conclusions from the images themselves. No interpretation necessary. This book will ask disturbing questions and inspire unexpected answers from anyone with an imagination and a heart. Sit back and let us take you on a walk around the Bad Apple.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Art

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2013

Reviews

[Louis Muñoz]

4 stars. Absolutely beautiful, often eerie/ethereal photography. Many of the photos make you wonder about our past and present, and even our future. As someone mildly involved in what is now called "Urbex" (Urban Exploration) LONG before it had a name, I really loved this book, in fact.

There's almost no text in this book, but I do like the following explanation for "Why We Do It?," why the authors and so many others are involved in Urbex:

"Whilst some might be quick in dismissing Urbex as a shallow pursuit of vicarious thrills, its ideals run deep... Not only do urban explorers find an aesthetic appeal in the decay, they also acknowledge their role in documenting sites otherwise ignored in order to build an unofficial but vital archival record... The exploration... allows society to reconnect with its past through the objects found and the suggestions of stories left behind. It is possible to understand the past more intimately by interpreting the relics and ephemera left behind in the everyday comings and goings of previous generations."

And while I'm a HUGE historical museum/house museum fan, and very much appreciate and LOVE those institutions, I found the following insight relevant and refreshing:

"The modern urban ruin, unlike the traditional perception of heritage institutions, can provide a stimulating experience for the curious. They are free from artificial narratives, and the stage-managed recreation of a period common in museums and stately homes. As they are free to enter, they are also truly democratic."

[Lori Anderson]

I'm a huge fan of urban exploration and have a decent library of photo books on the subject. This one covers churches, a convent, various asylums, and schools, largely in PA and NY. The text was informative and a good starting point for people interested in this type of photojournalism.

[Matthew Hundley]

There is a certain excitement to entering an abandoned building. Maybe you had to crawl under barbed wire to get there. Or just make sure no neighbors were looking. The smell - that is hard to capture. The textures - peeling paint, decaying wood, rusting metals. The treasures - old telephones, electric boxes, furnishings that haven't been sat on for years. This book takes you into abandoned buildings - hospitals, churches, schools - without the risk of asbestos or rats. These photographs capture all the wonder...minus the smells. In the time this has been sitting on my reading table I have kept going back. Revisiting photos. Catching little details I had not seen before. I would invite you to experience this riveting photo book. Let you imagination run wild inside these mysterious settings.

[Stephen]

These are wonderful pictures of the abandoned and decaying landscapes and interiors that can be found all over the country. The short write-ups explain why this sort of photography is important and is becoming popular. This type of photography can be found all over the internet, with a growing trend of groups devoted to this sort of exploration and documentation. I must say that perhaps, by scale, or tangibility in book form, or by simply better photography techniques and equipment- thesis some of the best of this genre. The general public does not focus on the downfall of things, we are trained not to. We think in the new and improved- or perhaps refurbished or repurposed but not at the actual decay. Hence why I find this subject fascinating.

[Christopher Dubey]

My review is at

http://www.examiner.com/review/states...

[Karen Siddall]

Beautiful, eerie. The photographs just ache with story.

[Gloria Green]

Abandoned buildings are a growing art form, and very lovely to behold......

[Jolie]

A nice collection of photos and places, capturing how easily a society can disappear - in a sense.

[Michelle now at StoryGraph]

Love everything about this book!