About this item
Throughout the ages, mankind has been fascinated by the ruins of previous societies. The desire to gain a greater understanding of our past has driven archaeologists, artists, and scholars from across the world to study the vestiges of lifestyles that have vanished in an attempt to capture their mystique and beauty.Originally intended as an examination of the rise and fall of the state hospital system, Matthew Christophers Abandoned America rapidly grew to encompass derelict factories and industrial sites, schools, churches, power plants, hospitals, prisons, military installations, hotels, resorts, homes, and more. Through his collection of writing and photography, Christopher has spent the last decade documenting the ruins of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known our own.
About the Author
Matthew Christopher has had an interest in abandoned sites since he was a child, but started documenting them a decade ago while researching the decline of the state hospital system. Matthew has an MFA in Fine Art Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology and has taught photography at a college level. He has had gallery shows across the US, been featured on NBC Nightly News, lectured on abandoned spaces and mental health history for the Pennsylvania State Museum, Preservation Pennsylvania, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Preservation Austin, and many others, and his work has been in dozens of publications and media outlets including the LA Times, ABC and NBC News, PDN, The Atlantic, Photographer's Forum, the Weather Channel, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, the Daily Mail, NY Daily News, and more. His website, Abandoned America, has gained international attention and is considered one of the leading collections of images of abandoned spaces on the internet.
