Near my home in Casa Grande stand a strange set of (nearly) abandoned structures that over the course of 35 years have take on a life and mystic of their own. Covered in decades of graffiti, the bizarre shapes of the buildings, the state of disrepair, along with the barbed wire and “Do Not Trespass” signs alone make place place somewhat intimidating. Couple that with rumors of occult activity, shadows and strange sounds from the dark corners and you have one…intriguing place for those not easily frightened. I prefer to think of it much like Yoda tells Luke in The Empire Strikes Back:
“What’s in there?”
“Only what you take with you.”
This particular afternoon all I took with me was my camera and a friend who had just moved to the area and wanted to see it. What struck me this day was how the sunset played with the color of the graffiti and the curvature of the domes created a very otherworldly, timeless sense of space. As my friend wandered, I attempted to stealthily catch images of him as he, almost childlike, explored the ruin. This particular shot of him gazing out a caved in window of the the building perfectly captures not of the the mysterious nature of the structures, their danger and allure, but also the curious, whimsical energy of those drawn to see them, individuals who (in my opinion) must be yearning for something visually unique and engaging, in a world of beige boxes .
