While developing is much faster than preserving these days, it is very easy to lose things before you realise it. A young photographer, Johnny Joo, is interested in abandoned spaces; he’s travelled to many places, hoping to preserve the old spots through his photographs. In his blog Architectural Afterlife, there is a category named ‘Abandoned’, listing in detail all the places he has been, including schools, hotels, amusement parks and churches (he has used this series of photos in his upcoming book ‘Forgotten Dreams”).

While the images show shattered walls, items scattered on the floor, curtains flying freely in the wind, none of these limit our imagination of the sites in their heyday. With the passage of time, each abandoned landscape had established an inseparable relationship with nature; and now nature has chosen to never leave. Using images to record memories, Johnny Joo introduces each place, and shares with us its history, enabling us to understand it more.

As he records the evidence of passing time, the mysterious and strange atmosphere of the ruins plays a role in teaching us valuable lessons in their own way.