Mathew Merrett is an urban decay photographer. His work includes images of abandoned buildings, factories, mines and institutions in states of decay and rot which demonstrate the de-industrialisation, declining economies and change in lifestyles of our time. Merrett aims to capture buildings/objects that were once vital and abundant before the 'redevelopment cycle erases them'.
"To me, urban decay represents how a progressing society sometimes forgets its roots". - Matthew Merrett.
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| Source: www.thephotomat.ca |
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| Source: www.thephotomat.ca |
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| Source: www.thephotomat.ca |
In his work, he brings attention to abandoned sites that are normally not given a second glance at. He believes that people get used to a certain view and do not consider the roots - such as what is inside the boarded up building that you may pass everyday. A view inside, he says, may take you back to the roots of a city.
He does not claim to be an environmental photography but he describes raising awareness and potentially encouraging people to save abandoned buildings as "an interesting aspect of my works effect".
For one of his projects, he travelled to Ukraine to photograph the aftermath of Chernobyl in the abandoned city of Pripyat. In an interview about his experience, he explained "It's the ultimate symbol of how human error can have a long term devastating effect on the earth".
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| Source: www.photographytuts.com |
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| Source: www.thephotomat.ca |
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| Source: www.thephotomat.ca |
"By carefully visualising my surroundings as they once were and are today, the past and the present are captured as one". - Mathew Merrett.
Merrett is a big inspiration for my project because his work demonstrates how we need to pay attention to our surroundings and take care of our environment. Although his photography involves structures on a larger scale, a lot of it includes rusting metal, overgrown plants and weathered textures which I aim to capture in my project to portray nature overcoming industrialisation.
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