Haikyo (廃墟) is a word meaning "ruins" in Japanese. The word also describes a hobby, known in English as Urban Exploration. This body of work is an ongoing project where I explore and Illuminate various ruins in the Southern California region of the United States.
Touching upon my documentary photography and communication studies background, I present this work as a grand narrative on the fall of the modern urban infrastructure and how the structures of man have been reclaimed by nature. Another facet of these structures is how they have become a canvass for street artists in their own creative endeavors.
My work seeks to return these structures to a state of their previous glory while accepting and appreciating their present existence. I follow non-linear documentation of these spaces as these structures are presently dark and forgotten. My purpose is to revitalize each structure by utilizing a combination of colors to highlight and transform various elements in each scene.
The resulting images are not manipulated digitally but rather lit through a physical and painstaking process at the time of exposure. Done entirely by hand, I achieve the colorful lighting effects in a scene with flashlights or strobes masked with theatrical gels to create a dramatic vision of a surreal world. Beyond photography, my process is performative and interactive as I react to the scene as each image is created.
I have had the pleasure of showing my work in Los Angeles and New York and have had various pieces purchased by local and international collectors.
I personally print these images on Metal Plates through a sublimation process and each image is part of a limited run. Please inquire via email for purchasing details or for galleries currently showing my work.
© Bendall The Rules Media
