very odd indeed
easily one of the grandest and most ornate asylums ever built,
algonquin river state hospital was a cause of great local controversy during construction
due to running far over budget. the extravagance is evident in the beautiful masonry,
the ornamental woodwork, the stained glass windows with their decorative yet functional iron grating.
olmsted, the man who designed central park, laid out the grounds and the span of the wings
is half a mile, if you walked end to end.
to do so now is impossible.
in an ironic twist, the much-contested (and extremely expensive) yellow pine floors
fared far less impressively over time than those made of other, cheaper materials.
the epic scale of the structural collapse, combined with a devastating fire last summer,
make algonquin river state hospital quite possibly the most deadly building in existence.
floors like the one shown here
give way into gaping abysses, punji pits full of sharp, splintered boards
fanning out from the basement like jagged teeth in the ever-hungry mouth of death itself.
to take this photo i had to make it from the crumbling doorway on the left
onto the sagging mess in the extreme foreground. the floor shifted beneath my feet
and my added weight sent dust and debris cascading ominously into oblivion below.
it was quite possibly the most frightening moment of my life, second only to the one
where i had to get back into the doorway with no real solid ground to support me as i inched closer.
i may not be terribly afraid of death. i may even frequently wish for it.
i am, however, afraid of being paralyzed, of falling onto a rotted shard of floorboard and
laying impaled and broken for hours, with no real help available. i am not too proud
to admit that i wanted nothing more than to stay in the relative safety of the door frame,
or that i am glad that i will never again have to make the nerve-wracking leap of faith
back to the only exit.
that being said, i would do it again if i had to. there is no better example than algonquin
that all things fall apart, and i feel a certain kinship with it. we are both collapsing inside,
and it is an odd thing to see before your very eyes what you imagine
your own heart looks like.
very odd indeed.—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--
photo taken at algonquin river state hospital. all rights reserved.
more of my work is available on abandonedamerica.org
very odd indeed belongs to the following groups:
All Things Poetic, Artistic, Philosophical, Art Inspired by Dreams, Dilapidated Buildings, Practising the Dark Arts and Vibrant and Vivid Color Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
KEITH R. WILL...
great shot
Tina Hogg
Incredibly powerful image and words. Thank you
Kristie King
Very Nice!
Debra LINKEVICS
Superb image. I love the texture of the peeling paintwork. The blue paintwork under the older paint adds a lot of interest to the image. Wonderful.
kcranmer
Wow awesome shot, love the mysterious quality of it!
Boadicea
Talk about taking risks for your art. Great shot and the story behind it is very compelling.
Glenn-Patrick ...
Yes-looking at your own heart is a bit odd.
ericseyes
Sometimes the risk is what makes for the most unique shots. It’s certainly not one you’ll see a hundred other versions of like a lot of popular photo subjects. Great work all in all!
blackoutangel replied
thank you, eric. i agree with your sentiment, which is why i’ve done some very stupid things for my shots. i can’t really recommend going into a place like this to anyone else in good conscience, but i know that risking my own life has produced some of my favorite works. maybe that’s just because i know what i went through to get them :)
Nvision Ink
That’s just awesome! I really like that blue color and all the destruction is so interesting. And how many times have you been arrested for trespassing well worth it though if you have.
blackoutangel replied
never been arrested, thankfully. being polite and agreeable can go a long way with law enforcement :)
Jason Laderoute
Awesome, perspective. There isso much intrigue here, I have to take a few moment to take it in.
Helene Kippert
Reminds me of a line in a Sylvia Plath poem
It is a heart, this holocaust I walk in
Disturbing and powerful.
Robert Mullner
Brilliant work…
Carlos Teófilo
Just incredible Blackoutangel.
ktowers
fantastic , perfect!
Cubiphese
Really, truly exceptional.
rob dobi
algonguin huh? haha. can’t tell you how many times i stood on that exact ledge.
Ana Racic
It is so beautiful, I had to fav it!
amarica
You are indeed a brave soul to risk this shot. I am glad to see this place out of business. Many people suffered terrible horrors at the hands of asylum “doctors” and personnel. Absolutely excellent image and efforts that you took to get it. Well done.
blackoutangel replied
thank you – i work in the mental health system and its bleak history is something that is endlessly interesting to me. while i sincerely believe there are many people who work in the mental health system who have nothing but good intentions, many abused it – including other patients, patients’ families, politicians, and our society at large. i think that the current state of affiars is pretty shabby too, and will probably start to sink back into the neglect of the past – which is why focusing on the mistakes we’ve made and how not to repeat them is so important to me. thanks for taking the time to read and think about it.
Ginger Barritt
A really impressive shot and adventure. I felt my pulse speed up while living the experience vicariously.
paulevelin
love your work
Michael Farruggia
my new fav of yours. that floor (or lack there of) is awesome
Rinkydink
I find this series of images so compelling to look at, & your writing really adds the sense of sadness & horror. I would not have the courage to go where you had to go to get this fantastic capture.
When I first looked at this one, it reminded me of a nightmare I once had about running down a corridor towards a door, opening the door to find no floor beyond….then everything starts to swirl…........
brilliant work, but now I have to go and look at a picture of a fluffy kitten to redress the balance & stave off the nightmare memory lol
Dafs
A beautifully lit photo and fantastically descriptive passage to accompany it. I seem to find all of your work quite humbling, I’m not sure whether it’s due to the subjects which you chose to analyse or the way in which you do so, but it certainly is fascinating.
Squealia
OMG, I would never have done what you did here… you are so brave, or maybe just darn stupid! However whichever way it is, we wouldn’t have these fabulous images to look at, so I am please that you are brave or stupid or both LOL!
Joanne Bradley
Exceptional!
Bev Woodman
Incredible! Love the history
Lois Bryan
Congratulations on winning the Dilapidated Buildings challenge!!! This is a fabulous image!!!!!
Sheila Pasket
WOOHOO!!! CONGRATS on the Sept win for dilapited bldgs. Love this work!!
john403
Congratulations on a dramatic, wonderful shot. Fantastic work!!!
robpixaday
Oh, my goodness, that’s wonderful!!
kozmix
Great shot!!
Robert Berry
Sweet work! Instant favorite!
Daryl Gordon
wow
artlorn
Your analogy of the inner heart is poignant and poetic. Every line of your writing here may be another layer of the inner self and the struggle to get through. Bravo- for the writings and for your fearlessness!
Charles Bodi
Nice.
Stephanie Werden
This is really eerie, great shot!
banrai
amazing image, great work!!
netmonk
ohh.. my kinda place! beautiful!