this christmas was the first time in years i was able to spend the full day back home in LI without having to rush back to philly. since my family & i celebrate mainly on christmas eve, we were left a bit at ends on the actual holiday & somehow i was able to convince my stepdad (best ever ! who indulges all my weird interests ) to stop at pilgrim state psych ward, which is very close to my parents home and where i spent the bulk of my childhood. i wrote a little about what this place means to me here, and wanted to elaborate a bit: the reality of mental illness nor the brutal / strange conditions mentally ill people were placed in is not something that fascinates me; yet i feel drawn to the abandoned places where afflicted people once lived. i think this is in part due to an interest in abandoned places in general, they have a haunted, strange feeling i find irresistible, like stumbling upon ancient ruins. the residual feeling of life in place that barely or no longer is in use feels akin to personal feelings, a kind of visual metaphor for how i feel on occasion.
so ! we made a fast stop and took some quick photos, my stepdad having taken the one above of me and me the ones below.
i hope you all enjoyed the holiday with whomever you spent it with and whatever you did.
4 comments :
i remember people i went to high school with always talking about/engaging debauchery around the worcester insane asylum in massachusetts. when i finally went it was completely overwhelming. its now abandoned but it has this gigantic tower that looms over you. the afternoon i ended up finally seeing it, it was gray and dull and snowing tiny flecks of white. the feeling stayed with me.
though you've said that you are more interested in the abandonment of well lived in places and not what takes place inside, i thought you might enjoy these photos via LIFE magazine of the worcester insane asylum. this site has also compiled some images of the now abandoned facility. http://www.opacity.us/site56_worcester_state_hospital.htm
I'm a bit confused. You spent the majority of your childhood where your parents now live, right? Surely not in that abandoned Psych Hospital?
I enjoy your blog in general though. Happy New Year.
I sometimes have to find the words to describe the emotional pull of abandoned places for my articles; you've done it so beautifully here. <3
Beautiful photography. Everyone one of those could be the album cover for a cool indie band.
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