Urban Abandonment and Decay (2023)

Regime Change

This is the apartment build where I grew up, in the home city of Satu Mare, Romania. It was build in the 1960s in a style typical for that era. The mosaic added a bit of colour and was just next to the playground. This year (2023) I went back and I took a picture just when they covered the mosaic with what looks like an industrial gray stucco. This was done for the purpose of insulating the building, but what makes it more efficient will remove even the little interest that building had. It felt sad, both because of the nostalgia of old times and also because it looked that the new times are dull and boring.

Freehold Apartments

This picture is a portion of an apartment building built  in 1970 initially as emergency shelter for the survivors of a flood. It was made of concrete slabs with minimum interest for aesthetics and comfort.  This building was part of a new neighbourhood called "Solidaritatii."

In the 1990s, after the communism collapsed, the people living in the building had the option to buy the apartments and started to take more care. But with very limited resources and without a "condominium" system in place the exterior renovation is a patchwork of painting and insulation jobs.

The picture is taken in 2023. It shows, on the left, the original exposed concrete and, on the right, some of the patchwork done by the new owners.

London Historical Perspective


I like the contrast that London (and England) offers. The rail tracks, bridges seem to be from WW2 and before: a bit rundown, bric-exposed buildings. And in the background these new, spectacular, super-modern buildings.






Angkor Wat - Majestic and Despair

Angkor Wat is surreal and overwhelming. History, turmoil, poverty, resilience, all around you.


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