Hidden In Plain Sight - The Abandoned Prison

• Photographer
  Lee Saloutos, United States
• Studio
  Lee Saloutos Photograpahy
• Website
  http://leesaloutos.com

Hidden In Plain Sight - The Abandoned Prison


This series is part of an ongoing project documenting
abandoned prisons in the US.

Almost all of these structures are “hidden in plain sight”,
integrated into the city or town in which they are located, often
presenting a beautiful facade to the world. With the rise of the
modern “prison industrial complex” the architecture of prisons
has become much more banal, and such facilities are commonly
hidden in remote areas. The prisons in these images are from
an earlier era, and it is uncertain if attempts at integrating them
into communities made them more or less visible.

In either case these places often have a long and frightening
history, but when empty are full of eerie and beautiful light. The
design and function of these interior spaces can be jarring,
utilitarian, even brutal, yet the light in the space open and
subtle and inviting.

It is possible to feel quite alone in one of these locations, and at
the same time realize that they were inevitably overcrowded and
filled with ever present tension and latent violence.

The contrast between these elements is fascinating and difficult.
It is possible to feel deeply unsettled and serene at almost the
same moment.