The ugly and the inevitable truth
Tonight a friend called who happened to be passing through my city and asked me to join him for a coffee. We ended up walking around the streets a bit and went for a cider at a local bar that has its own distillery. We don't get to see so often as even though he has recently moved back to Finland after a decade working abroad, we still live a few hundred clicks from each other and both have families and long hours. Glad he called tonight as I needed to get out of the house a bit.
I figured that I might have a chance to snap some pictures so grabbed my kit with me, even though I only ended up using a 12-40mm 2.8 lens. I was planning on heading down to the lake to see if I could get some shots of still water between the remaining ice, but never made it to check as I decided to change course and see if I could get close to an old paper mill they are tearing down.
It is hard to tell from the pictures perhaps but this building must be at least 10 storeys tall and was quite a behemoth of a thing not so long ago. It is strange to walk around it (I had to jump a fence or two as it is not exactly a 'safe' place to wander at midnight in the dark) as it feels somewhat like being around the bones of an enormous dinosaur, fallen and rotting. It is also weird to see the twisted remains of massive steel structures crumpled like crushed and torn paper.
This site will eventually become residential housing area and will likely be one of the more expensive new developments around the city, which is going through a lot of changes at the moment and preparing housing for about another 20% of the population. I am not exactly sure who is going to live in them all, especially at the prices they are demanding. Yet, they seem to be selling - the economic collapse gets closer.
People are extending their debt liabilities to their limits and not leaving much breathing room. This is a massive risk area at the moment and it is like people didn't learn a thing from 2008. Well, some did and they are the ones who are retracting what they owe and increasing what they own. One of the things my friend and I discussed was the necessity to own something that can't be taken away - he still won't get into crypto though.
The future is bearing down on us ever faster it feels and while many people reduce the chances of economic hardship in the future, I think the wise move is to prepare for the inevitable because, economic mismanagement and collapse is always not too far away. As my friend said, when the time comes he might have to pack up and leave - as I see it, there is not much packing necessary as alone needs to have are the keys.
When they built this factory, they didn't have its inevitable destruction in mind either.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
The wheel keeps turning and it just repeats itself over and over again. Very true as long as you have your keys you can go anywhere you want really and don't need much else. I wish I could just get up and walk around as there are very few places you could do that safely today.
Better than gold and a study full of Renoir paintings if one must move fast.
I can't explain, but these photographs are phenomenal to me. They just make me imagine some sort of post apocalyptic world or destroyed moon base or something. I just can imagine you writing fiction piece on top of them. Second picture from the bottom looks like abandoned rocket launch pad and three on top of that one, something on the moon for sure. I make no sense? Lol
I agree, it looks much like an abandoned space station and walking around there had that feel. I was thinking it at the time and whu I put them in B&W instead of colour :)
The powers that be continue to allow for the risk taking as the cycle of the financial crisis is now over and those who lost their home in 2008 are back getting into one again. While it is everyone’s right, the setup is the same; elite cashing out for their cushion and more about to lose it all again.
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It seems insanity considering most people getting back in now were old enough to know what happened a decade ago... Many never learn.
These pictures look like from the moon... Hard to think such remains exist in 21 century Finland... Your friend will get into crypto but only when all his friends are already there. He probably doesn't have an early adopter mind.
It won't exist for long as they tear it down. Soon, it will all be over-priced apartments that people will go deeply into debt for.
He even called himself a dinosaur.
I bet he said it with a certain degree of pride...
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Am quite astounded by how safe Finland must be.... I wouldn't even walk in some places during the day where I live
It is very safe for the most part but I would say that it is changing faster than people here expect. Much of it is driven by economic and social problems of course.
Some of it is driven by immigration from cultures where women dressed in skimpy or even normal clothing are considered whores, worthless trash.
not that much i think. I think for the most part from what I have seen it is drunks and drug addicts in Keskustori.
Finnish drunks are mostly harmless.
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Last summer we couldn't take our daughter to Laikunlava because of the needles covering the ground. We were even warned by one of the drug addicts that 'it is no place for a child'. This was a Thursday at 7pm - we were there for a salsa dancing night.
That's sad. Lahti is supposed to be some kind of drug central because for the same reason it is a logistical center in general. But I haven't seen too many drugheads in town here.
Yeah, last year I was 'shocked' because i hadn't been like that before. Literally, needles being used openly.
Locally there seem to be a lot of people suddenly buying brand new cars. I remarked on it to my husband and he said that prices have plummeted in desperation to try and sell them. Not a great sign, yet people just can't seem to resist. I wonder how many have added another debt for it.
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It is happening here too and after 2008, the new car sales didn't drop at all, even in the luxury classes. What people did was sold family assets to keep up with "standard of living". A car brand counts as living.
Good photo story, too! I'm happy more of those show up on Steem. Thanks!
I used to do more of them but having no time to get out with the camera it is difficult. I could spend a lot of time in this area though as it is quite a unique place - soon to be gone.
I think I've said it a lot - changes are one of the best things to track using photography. Personal, communal and global.
One day, there is going to be an AI that compiles all of the digital photographs globally and over time to build images that best represent events as we photographed them. Will be interesting to see what we see.
Your gonna have the Urbex bug next, not sure about B&W night shots.. but your getting there.
I would love it and there are plenty of old factories around but, time is the issue. You don't like night B&W?
Only in the sense that you see less. Some of the places I go in are completely dark inside and you need to take a huge light.
As a photographer, there's a wealth of different looking prospective photograph opportunities at these places.
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