Godeung-dong in Suwon was one of the first large neighborhoods I explored and documented. I was captivated by the sheer magnitude of it all. There was so much to see and not much time to take it all in.
At this point, I was still a green photographer and urban explorer. I would take pictures of EVERYTHING. Thankfully I came of age in the digital age. It’s not a problem when you first start with an iPhone or DSLR to shoot a (seemingly)endless neighborhood of empty rooms and lonely chairs. Over time I developed my voice and point of view to allow me to crossover to film.
Many of the pictures shown here, I am would re-do or not even shoot. I am dissatisfied with my neglect to clean the lens of my iPhone. Over time, I have become more selective about what I shoot. Some pictures are early indicators of what I love shooting today(See the abandoned shaman houses and Bodhidharma artwork.)
So I present these pictures from late 2015, early 2016 not with any particular source of pride, but to show my development. These photos were exercises in building momentum and direction. It took me many years to do something with my photos. Finally, one day I realized I felt the need to show the world what I have seen. I prefer to let people see these photos now rather than let them go unseen, wasting space on my hard drive.
Unfortunately, I have forgotten a lot of the particulars of my visits to this place. I don’t remember how many times I explored it. I don’t know all the people who accompanied me here. I know for sure Lex and Jon were with me one or two times.
Lex was with me this day this picture above was taken; I know this for sure. She was as hyped as I was about the stuff found in this particular house. Lex tried to transmit her enthusiasm to the security guard kicking us out of place by showing her photos to the perplexed guard.
I intend to publish more of my early explorations on this blog. With each passing year, the details of those visits become blurry, and all I have is the photos as evidence that a neighborhood once stood at the place. Better late than never, right?
