Abandoned Perth: Memories and Photos of the Lost and Found

Description

In this beautifully photographed book, the author has captured abandoned places in emotive form: places as dark as time; history forgotten in the folds of the subconscious mind; beauty in decay, a presentation of life open to our personal interpretations. Atmospheric scenes unfold before the light of torches, with glass crunching underfoot, complementing the unremitting sound of dripping water. Creative wall art decorations attract attention, bordering the natural and unnatural worlds with a broad range of colours and exuding micro-organisms with compelling effects. The author describes urbexing - the pursuit of images of the abandoned and ruined - as a drug, a way of life as powerful as a state of mind. This is her world - this is Perth.

Delphine Jamet has lived on the streets of Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne (she is presently living in Perth) and is a committed urbexer - one of those who record abandoned and ruined places through film and photography in order to preserve history and especially to share it with the younger generations. She describes herself as an investigator in stealth mode, snapping photographs like a mouse hunting cheese before someone or something awakes. She is driven to explore - and photograph - abandoned locations which in turn become a calm sanctuary for recovery from a world full of drama. She is the author of a number of non-fiction books, including Streetkid In The City and Deep Into Dark. Through animation to photography, videos to web publishing on her website Streetkid Industries, Delphine's goal is to educate people to help them understand different perspectives in life. Her ambitions include becoming a journalist, starting a magazine for teenage streetkids and being a BMX champion (in her spare time, she is a passionate BMXican and has previously placed 2nd in Australia and 8th in the World BMX Champions).