Out of the rubble: Photographers explore Richmond’s ruins
Filmmakers raising funds to document “treasure troves of abandonment”
Samantha Foster
Staff Writer
Decayed Richmond was founded in 2010 as a photo blog, but is now making a documentary about their adventures capturing the abandoned buildings of Richmond on film.
Decayed Richmond is a collective of 10 to 15 artists, photographers and videographers.
“People pop in and help for a while, but they might not have as much to contribute,” said Decayed Richmond founder, J, who requested that his name not be published.
Decayed Richmond began as a photo blog, which is still used, but the website gained a lot of attention very quickly, J said. They then started interviewing people about these “treasure troves of abandonment” and posting the videos to their blog. The idea to create a documentary arose out of the want to combine their photography and interviews.
“We recently just funneled it all into one idea,” J said.
“I was taking photography classes and was looking for different things to photograph,” J said of his first experiences with these abandoned buildings.
“I always had an affinity for abandoned buildings and with my history with graffiti,” said P, a co-founder. “I would hear about these places just through word of mouth.”
Decayed Richmond is no longer affiliated with doing graffiti, however.
Decayed Richmond discovers these abandoned buildings through word of mouth, but also through looking on Google Maps.
“We drive around looking,” J said. “We also use Google Maps satellite. You look for vacant parking lots and broken windows.”
J and P said they do not consider what Decayed Richmond does to be illegal.
“I don’t see trespassing into an abandoned building as a crime,” J said. “We don’t forcibly enter buildings. We don’t damage property. We leave it the way we find it.”
P agreed.
“I think that there is a big hysteria around abandoned buildings that since they are neglected, they are dangerous,” P said. “There aren’t crack heads trying to stab you with needles.”
For their upcoming documentary, Decayed Richmond is raising money through Kickstarter.com, a website that helps creative groups to raise money for projects. Rewards for donations are offered.
Decayed Richmond said they hope to raise $3,000 by Feb. 29. This funding will help them buy sound equipment and finish shooting the film.
“It’s a do-it-yourself documentary, but we want it to look professional. DIY doesn’t necessarily mean low quality,” J said.
The Decayed Richmond documentary hopes to be completed by December 2012. They are also hoping to premiere their documentary at The Byrd Theatre.
“We’re not going to make any money off (the documentary),” P said. “It’s basically why the artist does art: We feel like we should be doing it.”
