Week 9: Disciple of Decay by Niki Feijen

Monday, September 15, 2014 Ching Lea Yee 0 Comments

Since for exercise 2 I have decided to go to Istana Woodneuk to photograph the abandoned mansion, I decided to research more on photographers that photograph abandoned place. Niki Feijen's works have caught my eye as I love how he captures these abandoned places with a very eerie yet beautiful feeling. And the natural lighting has played an important part in portraying the mood which I hope I can apply it to my photographs too. His Disciple of Decay series features abandoned family homes that must once have been filled with conversation and laughter, but now house only the crumbling belongings of their former occupants. Just like how Istana Woodneuk was, it used to be occupied with people but now it is just a house that is decaying with remnants of the previous owners.


 Decaying and abandoned family homes that remain almost exactly as they were left have been captured on film by Dutch photographer Niki Feijen. In a series of haunting photographs taken at secret locations across western Europe, Feijen shows furniture, ornaments and personal momentoes frozen in time. His Disciple of Decay  collection features a neatly-made bed in a rotting farmhouse, an empty armchair in an abandoned home, and a spiral staircase in a deserted monastry.
Empty: The bed is still covered by a neatly folded duvet in this abandoned farmhouse - but it's unlikely anybody would want to sleep in it

Creepy: The occupants of this abandoned farmhouse are long gone, but their belongings remain; from the paintings hanging on the walls to the neatly made bed

Remains of a life: An old-fashioned baby carriage stands before a smeared window in an empty building that once housed a young family

Forlorn: A pair of shoes sit in front of an empty armchair and ornaments remain above the fireplace in this abandoned home

Religious: Layers of blankets remain on the bed in the empty farmhouse, which is still surrounded by crosses and statues of Jesus belonging to its former owner

Faded grandeur: Dutch photographer Niki Feijen specialises in urban exploration; capturing the abandoned and decaying buildings that lie behind 'do not enter' signs

Remnants of family life: A table and chairs discovered inside what was once the dining room of this now dilapidated farmhouse in western Europe

Ghostly: This eerie photograph captures the dusty pews and peeling walls inside a boarded up church

Disused: Ignore the dust, dirt and peeling walls, and this room is almost ready for a family to sit down to a cup of tea

Mould: Beds feature heavily in the Disciple of Decay series, as do religious pictures and crosses

Well-loved: A dusty toy doll sits in a decaying leather armchair in front of a stained glass window

Former splendour: Sunlight beaming through holes in the roof highlights the faded grandeur of this dilapidated building

Sources: 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316987/Photographer-Niki-Feijens-eerie-images-abandoned-farm-houses.html

Ching Lea Yee

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