Nature gets its space back…

I was drawn to the silent battle playing out on this façade. The building, once proud in its classical symmetry, has yielded to time and decay. Nature, opportunistic and patient, is reclaiming space—creeping across brick and stone, entwining itself with Corinthian capitals and shattered sills. This isn’t ruin porn; it’s a quiet negotiation between permanence and ephemerality.

I shot straight on, flattening perspective to emphasise the structure’s geometry. Vertical lines matter here—the columns, the window frames, the pattern of the vines—all reinforcing the sense of a former order. Exposure was metered to protect detail in the shadows, especially behind the broken windows, while still holding colour in the overgrown foliage.

The dynamic tension lies in the palette: muted terracotta and weathered timber are overtaken by reds and deep purples of the vines. The hues anchor the viewer’s eye, guiding it through a façade that’s simultaneously decaying and alive. The sharpness is deliberate: every crack, flake, and creeping tendril had to register. I resisted any softening or romanticism in post.