In a world increasingly driven by progress and change, it’s easy to overlook the forgotten—spaces, objects, and people once intertwined with the fabric of society. Through abandonment photography of forgotten buildings, rusted cars, and dormant machinery, I’ve found these deserted remnants not as symbols of loss but as profound reflections on human belonging.
The Silent Witness of Forgotten Spaces: Buildings
Abandoned buildings often tell stories of relationships once held dear (see Figures 1 & 2). A factory that once buzzed with workers now stands silent, its machinery still and its walls crumbling. This decay might seem like the end of a story, but it also speaks to a time when these structures played an integral role in people’s lives. The factory once united workers who depended on it for a livelihood. And families whose homes surrounded it through a shared space. Although abandoned, the forgotten spaces once embodied a collective purpose—a sense of belonging.
The Lost Journey of Forgotten Spaces: Vehicles
Abandoned vehicles left in fields, rusted over and forgotten, offer another reflection on belonging (see Figures 3 & 4). In their prime, they were symbols of independence and adventure. Carrying people across the landscape, bridging distances between home and faraway places. Now, discarded in a forgotten corner of the world, they reflect the passage of time and the shifting nature of human connection. Furthermore, these disused cars once belonged to someone, offering a sense of purpose or identity. Their abandonment asks us to reflect on how quickly such connections can fade and what it means to be left behind!
The Ghosts of Progress in Forgotten Spaces: Machinery
Abandoned machinery deteriorating in disuse provides another layer to the story of belonging (see Figures 5 & 6). It represents human ambition—tools that once drove economies and shaped communities. Now, they stand as ghosts of an era—symbols of the drive to create, build and leave a mark on the world. In their abandonment, they pose a powerful question about our relationship with progress. How quickly we move on, leaving behind the things that once gave us purpose.
Belonging in the Forgotten
In each of these images, I see a story of connection. We may leave things behind, but they, too, tell us who we were, what we valued, and where we came from. The process of abandonment is often a painful one, as it suggests something lost or forgotten. Yet, it also reveals a quieter, perhaps stronger connection—a reminder that our identity is shaped not by where we are but by where we have been and what we leave behind.
Moreover, abandonment photography captures the remnants of forgotten spaces, offering a visual testament to the lives once tied to them. Similarly, sociologists like Pierre Nora (1989) argue that abandoned spaces act as lieux de mémoire—sites of memory that hold cultural significance, even when left to decay. These spaces serve as silent witnesses to history, reminding us of the people and stories that shaped them. Through abandonment photography (see more below), I hope to prompt a deeper reflection on what it means to belong. How, at times, it is in the forgotten spaces that we uncover our sense of place in the world.
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