Freestyle: Abandoned places of Voortrekker Road

Abstract

I chose to focus my freestyle project on the ruins and abandoned places of Voortrekker Road. I shot in three different locations: Maitland station and two abandoned buildings between Salt River Station and Koeberg station. I had already explored one of the abandoned buildings several times and decided to go there in the early morning to capture the special light of the sunrise over the mountain. Later, as I was shooting another abandoned building further in the street, the security guard of the building approached me and we started having a conversation. He offered to open the gate for me so I could shoot inside; it was a unique occasion to capture the place which is normally inaccessible. The atmosphere was really particular as it was just before a storm, which rendered the place even more apocalyptic. I am very intrigued by those buildings: how did they end up like this? Who used to live here? Why were they destroyed? What is going to be built next and when?