from Brick Visual’s featured artist series
brickvisual.com/the-post-apocalyptic-spectacle-of-attila-deak/

Next in line to be featured within the Art of Brick series is Attila Deák, who is the Workgroup Leader of the Animation team at Brick. As a qualified architect and production manager, he has participated in creating about 100+ animations, game trailers, ads, and feature movies. When he is not involved in creating visuals in motion and managing his team, he explores the world as a particular type of traveler – an urban explorer. This article shows the world through his lens, uncovering stories beneath the decay.

The Urbex Club 

Urban explorers or urbexers are a group of ruin enthusiasts who venture into secluded and empty buildings to experience and photograph the melancholic beauty of the abandoned. Attila, who has been intrigued by deserted constructions since the age of 9, is the founder of The Urbex Club, an online platform dedicated to urbex travels. The site documents the highlights of the silent worlds he has been to over the past 20 years –  warehouses, villas, hospitality, and cultural venues among others, scattered across 40 countries.

‘In a way, this is an extreme hobby because most of the properties I visit are difficult to find and access. Once I’m there, I follow a set of unwritten rules – the ethos of the urbex community is that you don’t share the whereabouts of the site with anyone, as that would attract vandals or thieves who would strip the building of its values. You don’t move or take any objects either, or arrange the scene for a photo – you are only a spectator who captures what is there to see.’

A staircase of a Ghost Hotel in the mountains of Bali, Indonesia

The process

Attila does extensive research before embarking on an expedition. He spends long hours examining urbex forums, Facebook, Instagram feeds, Google satellite maps, and books to find leads for interesting locations. These are only bits of information, so he has to be observant of the background, surrounding environment, and clues that give away at least the country of the site. After he connects the dots and identifies the place, he adds it to his private urbex map on Google (below). Whenever he travels the world, he uses this as his guide and makes stops along the way.

Is the ruin still there? Is the area protected? He tries to find out from forums but at times he just has to see for himself. Other times, he asks whether he can enter a building but he hits the wall, literally and figuratively – he is denied access without any reason. If he is lucky, he gets in, sets up his camera, and starts taking thousands of photos that represent the most characteristic views of the place.

The city of Pripyat has spent decades returning to nature

He edits his photo selection, writes the blog entry for The Urbex Club in which he summarizes his findings, and rates the project on a 4-star scale, which indicates how much the place can offer an urbexer. Interesting to note that during the editing process, he enhances the color settings of the images with his own filters to create a cross-balanced color grading composition that would attract more attention.

The color scheme of the original photos are rather nondescript – I go a bit overboard when editing them to create a more exceptional image. This way when I post these works to the blog and social media, I get more engagement (likes, comments, shares) and visibility. The more people I reach the better because the stories that accompany the images are incomplete – I need the online community’s input to get more details about the history of the place.

This is perhaps the most interesting part of the project – to construct the narrative collectively. What was the building used for? Who owned it? Why did it become deserted? Often people who are closely linked to the site chime in with personal stories or observations.

An abandoned coal mine in Hungary

Inota Thermal Power Plant, Hungary

A professional acquaintance notified Attila that the power plant of Inota (cover image) would be demolished, a place he had had on his Hungarian urbex bucket list for years. There was no time to spare – he rushed to the site as soon as he could to capture the essence of the ruin. Not only is this location interesting for urbexers but also for cinephiles – some scenes of Blade Runner 2049 had been filmed here. His composition evokes a frame from the film but by adding a slight tilt and greenish hues, he created his own, more futuristic take on the sight.

A popular destination for urbexers in a German holiday village

Arzt Villa, Germany

The Arzt villa was a promising lead to explore from the onset. Attila had found hints of the location on Facebook among the comments, but he had to wait 2-3 years to be able to pinpoint exactly where to find the mansion. Once the property of a doctor, the building consists of many intriguing spaces and objects, like surgery with test tubes and various medical equipment, and a library replete with books (above). The most interesting piece is the grand piano (below) which is worth a couple of thousand Euros, still in good condition. Owing to the spooky charm and relatively intact fixtures of the villa, the place became known as the ‘museum of German urbexers’ – they have even placed a visitors’ book there to record the evidence of their visit. Sadly, fame has taken its toll on the mansion – several objects such as formaldehyde bottles with animal remains have been stolen from the surgery.

It is feared that this magnificent villa will be more and more exposed to thieves and vandals

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine

The desire to be outside the regular limits and walk where others do not dare perhaps becomes most evident through the Chernobyl journey. Attila and his group specifically asked their local guides to take them on a route that is private, dangerous, and least traveled. The regularly organized Chernobyl trips include 3-4 sites at best, but Attila and his team managed to visit 15 different places in Pripyat. What captivated him the most was a standby storage facility behind the primary school. Sealed wooden boxes containing brand new gas masks are scattered here, all but one untouched. The vandalism caused that one box to reveal its content – pairs of sightless eyes and snaking tubes, the legacy of a political system and major catastrophe.

One has to adhere to a long list of regulations when visiting the disaster-stricken area 

Future prospects

According to Attila, despite the fact that many sites become available to visit, the list containing abandoned places to be explored never runs out, on the contrary – it rapidly grows. His greatest desire is to involve more active members – amateur or professional photographers, vloggers – in The Urbex Club, to build a strong community who are passionate about this extreme hobby, and to continue preserving the memory of forgotten buildings.

An Article on BORED PANDA

www.boredpanda.com/abandoned-beauties-pics/

Most of us find architecture fascinating. The built environment around us reflects the history and culture of a place that can shape our experiences and perceptions of an area. However, not all the buildings stand the test of time and many are left to decay. For some, they become unwanted ghosts of the past; for others, they are objects of mystery and awe.

“Abandoned Beauties” is a Facebook group dedicated to celebrating and sharing the beauty of old deserted places. With over 808 thousand members, this place is a treasure trove for all the lovers of urban exploration (urbex). We have gathered a collection of gorgeous images of forgotten structures. So continue scrolling through the uncharted wilds of urbex. Don’t forget to upvote your favorite images and share your thoughts in the comments!

For more breathtaking photos, we invite you to check out our previous articles by clicking here and here.

We got in touch with Attila Deák, a 46-year-old Hungarian 3D artist, creative director, architect, photographer and the founder of The Urbex Club, to learn more about urbex photography and his experience exploring derelict urban structures.

The Urbex Club is an online platform (website, Facebook) dedicated to the team’s urbex travels. “We’ve visited more than 260 sites all over the world. Our site documents the highlights of the silent worlds. Over the past 22 years, we have been to hotels, castles, barracks, warehouses, villas, hospitals, and cultural venues, among others, scattered across 45 countries, and world-famous ruins such as 30+ ancient temples, Angkor in Cambodia, Chornobyl and Pripyat in Ukraine, the giant abandoned hotels of Croatia and the ‘haunted’ Ghost Hotel in Bali.

We are trying to focus on publishing consistent high-quality photos, and a detailed in-depth background story as well. This is perhaps the most interesting part of the project – constructing the narrative collectively. What was the building used for? Who owned it? Why did it become deserted? Often people who are closely linked to the site chime in with personal stories or observations.” Scroll down to read the whole interview!

Attila Deák is a graduated architect, and he is leading the movie team at Brick Visual, making architectural visualization movies for the leading developers. The artist shared that as a hobby, he is a backpacker, traveling all over the world: “I really like to get off the path, take photos, and do travel vlogging, but my biggest hobby is urbex photography.”

The artist has been intrigued by deserted constructions since the age of 9 when in Hungary, the communist era ended, and the whole country was full of freshly abandoned buildings left there by the Russian troops. “We started to climb fences with my cousins to enter these factories, resorts, schools, offices, and barracks, but it was completely hidden from our parents, they thought that we were perfect kids. So it’s been 36 years that I’ve been an urbexer. Now taking it more and more seriously, as well as having 11000+ followers, gives me so much appreciation and positive feedback.

I started taking photos around 19 when I traveled a lot, and later I realized that people really like my photography style, and what I really like is to take artistic photos to show the strange mood of these sites. It makes me happy to present the unreachable decayed places to the viewers who probably would never be brave enough to enter any abandoned building.”

After exploring so many forgotten places, it might be hard to pick the one that has left the biggest impression. However, Attila shared that the “Arzt villa” in Germany was his favorite abandoned building he has ever discovered. “We had found hints of the location on Facebook among comments, but I had to wait 3 years to be able to pinpoint exactly where to find the mansion. This amazing building consists of many intriguing spaces and objects, like surgery with test tubes and various medical equipment, a library replete with books, a fully equipped kitchen from the seventies, etc. The most interesting piece is the grand piano which is worth a couple of thousand Euros, still in good condition. Owing to the spooky charm, haunted mood, and relatively intact fixtures of the villa, it later became a world-famous urbex location. Sadly, fame has taken its toll on the mansion – several objects such as formaldehyde bottles with animal remains have been stolen from the surgery.”

Exploring abandoned places is not a walk in the clouds and one should be aware of potential hazards before venturing into such locations. According to Attila, this is an extreme hobby in a way because most of the properties he visits are difficult to find and access, and there are several serious dangers. “I never go alone, because these places can be really dangerous, the structure of the roof-less buildings can collapse anytime. Most often I explore the urbex sites with my wife, and The Urbex Club has got two more members who often come with us in Europe and Asia. Once I’m there, I follow a set of unwritten rules – the ethos of the urbex community is that you don’t share the whereabouts of the site with anyone, as that would attract vandals or thieves who would strip the building of its values. You don’t move or take any objects either, or arrange the scene for a photo – you are only a spectator who captures what is there to see, to archive it because it will disappear soon and probably forever.”

There might be different approaches to urbex photography. While some focus on the location’s historical and cultural value, others are interested in capturing the aesthetic appeal of the decay. As a lover of photography and ruin enthusiast, Attila ventures into secluded and empty buildings to experience the melancholic beauty of the abandoned. “I’m trying to capture the whole building with a wide lens, but I’m also using a long lens to portray the amazing details. The color scheme of the original photos are rather nondescript – I go a bit overboard when editing them to create a more exceptional image. I really like to enhance the color settings of the images with my own style to create a cross-balanced color grading composition that would attract more attention. This way when I post these works to the blog and social media, I get more engagement (likes, comments, shares) and visibility. The more people I reach, the better, because the stories that accompany the images are incomplete – I need the online community’s input to get more details about the history of the place, which is my overall goal besides chasing good feedback and likes.”

Attila shared that the process of finding locations starts with extensive research before embarking on an expedition. “I’m spending long hours examining urbex forums, Facebook urbex groups and pages, Instagram feeds, Google satellite maps, and books to find leads for interesting locations almost every week. These are only bits of information, so I have to be observant of the background, surrounding environment, and clues that give away at least the country of the site. After I connect the dots and identify the place, finally I add it to my private urbex map on Google. Now I have thousands of locations everywhere rated on a four-star scale. Whenever I’m traveling the world, I use this as my guide and make stops along the way. Sometimes I’m refreshing the information, is it still there, or has it been demolished, or is it being reconstructed, or is the area protected, is it possible to go in, and how.”

Lastly, Attila revealed that he always wanted to share his urbex adventures with friends who are also talented and experienced photographers but he couldn’t find anybody except two mates. So the artist is still open to accepting new members who are ready to discover abandoned places, document them to a high standard, and also do the research on the background story! So, if you’re interested in this type of adventure, this might be your chance to join the courageous and creative team!

The Urbex Club is a nonprofit club of several talented photographers from Hungary and Germany. We are still open to growing. The goal and purpose of The Urbex Club are to involve amateur or professional photographers, vloggers who have an interest in abandoned places, ruins, forgotten places. We’ll try to keep the quality of the blog post as high as possible.

• Never steal any objects from the site
• Newer ruin anything (don’t break windows, glasses, doors)
• Newer ruin locks. If it is locked, find another place/hole to climb inside.
• Don’t move things from their original place for a good photo, or if you do, bring them back to the original place
• If someone spotted you, don’t hide, talk with them honestly about your true goal here – which is just Urbex Photography, keeping the memory of this site forever. If it goes wrong, try to convince/bribe them with money/alcohol/send photos if possible. If it’s still going bad, leave the site, and ask for information on how to get in legally next time.

1. Be Discreet

Urbex sites are almost every time closed to the public. It is therefore important to be discreet when approaching. Being discreet also means adopting a relaxed and non-suspicious attitude. If you meet someone, a security guard, or a neighbor citizen, be kind, talk to them, try to explain why are you here, and immediately leave if they ask.

It sometimes happens that the conditions for entering a spot are not met (there are too many people). In these cases, it is best to try your luck again. This can be frustrating, but it must be understood that too many reports on the same spot may push the authorities to make the place more secure, or even to have it demolished!

We advise you to carefully study the location and the different access paths to choose the safest (and not the shortest!). In the same way, if you come by car, do not park right in front of the spot: it is far too suspicious. It happened to us the police just stopped because our car was parked at the door of an abandoned place, and they politely asked us to leave. Park further and walk a bit🙂

2. Do not degrade or ruin the place

Too often spots are vandalized (broken windows, tagged walls, etc.). We find these attitudes reprehensible and they considerably damage the reputation of the urbex. It’s not that hard to enjoy the place without breaking everything. The degradations break the magic and the atmosphere of the places, the next ones who will pass after you will thank you.

Also, pay attention to the law. In 99% of cases, the place belongs to someone, and the damage can be considered a break-in and vandalism.

Take no objects! It is always magical to enter an abandoned building and find the place frozen in time as if every object had not moved for sometimes more than 40 years. It is, therefore, better to preserve this atmosphere which makes the charm of the Urbex. Taking items is also considered stealing, as the majority of urbex spots are privately owned.

3. Do not put yourself in unnecessary danger

Everyone has their reasons for practicing urbex. Whether for photography, atmosphere, or adrenaline. It is not uncommon to see urbexers (sometimes experienced) put themselves in danger. Exploration will never be worth losing your life for. If the place is too dangerous or your equipment is unsuitable, it is better to give up.

In addition to impacting you and your loved ones, an accident affects all of urbex’s activities by reflecting a negative image and causing incredible places to be demolished or secured. In short, never go alone, and be careful!

4. Not disclosing addresses openly if the place still has got valuable art, objects, statues, etc 

The search for addresses is one of the facets of the urbex. It’s always very exciting to find information about a spot and go there for the first time without really knowing what to expect. Sometimes you can just see a potential spot on the side of the road and write it down for later. It is important to leave mystery and difficulty. That’s also what makes urbex so charming, isn’t it?

5. Take advantage of the place

You sweated to find the address of the place. You had a hard time getting back there, sometimes going through brambles, climbing fences, making big detours through the fields. And finally, there you are. So enjoy it! Marvel at the architecture, nature reclaiming its rights, and old objects left abandoned. Simply from the atmosphere🙂

Is it dangerous?

Yes, urbex can be dangerous. Sometimes even deadly. Accidents happen, and it is often due to unconsciousness: young people who do not know how to assess the risks correctly and who put themselves in danger. A simple google search “urbex accident” and there are plenty of examples.

Another point to know: the urbex is a practice that surfs within the limit of legality. Admittedly, the places are abandoned, but many remain private properties all the same. Some can even be guarded, and we advise against trying to enter those where access is too difficult.

Cases of urbexers having real legal problems because of an exploration “gone badly” are rare. In general, the risk is to be evicted from the premises more or less delicately, sometimes by the police who will have been warned by a suspicious or angry neighbor. If you haven’t stolen or damaged anything, that’s usually the end of it, even if a few unlucky ones may have had a short stay in police custody.

Tips:

• Avoid climbing or walking on structures that are too fragile (rust, rotten wood, etc.). Most accidents are falls, much more than collapses. Always pay attention to where you step and trust your instincts.

• Avoid practicing urbex on days when the weather is bad (strong winds, showers, snow, hail). This unnecessarily increases the risk of falls, slips, and even collapses.

• Be discreet by trying to reach the place and on the spot. We repeat ourselves but it is a very important point!

• Some may disagree, but personally, we do not recommend urbex night expeditions. They are much more dangerous. Poor visibility at night in a place with risks of collapse/holes in the ground and the accident happened quickly. Inevitably, we forget the beautiful photos in the dark. The atmosphere is much less pleasant, the places lose their interest. To scare yourself, there are other ways than going to risk your life in this kind of place in the middle of the night.

• If you are ever stopped by security or the police, do not try to run away. Be respectful, apologize and calmly explain what you came to do (photography).

How to dress for an Urbex Tour?

The urbex environments are often unwelcoming: brambles, broken glass, rusty metal, ticks… It is better to opt for covering and thick clothing that will protect you effectively. For the colors, we advise you rather dark and mat clothes to avoid attracting attention unnecessarily. If you want to dress up, change once inside the venue. Also remember to take a pair of gloves which can be useful, and choose adherent and sporty shoes (to be adapted according to the terrain).

How to find urbex places?

Finding interesting urbex photos is easy, but if the addresses are kept secret, how do you find abandoned places? This is the question that all beginners in urbex ask themselves, and it is quite legitimate.

Already, it should be understood that the phase of research of the places is entirely part of the practice of the urbex. It’s even often a very fun step if you like to play detective. Personally, we see it as a game. Believe me, the satisfaction is immense when you finally manage to find the google maps location of the place you have been tracking for hours, even days. Much more than if you were given the address of the spot without you having to make any effort!

Where to start?

There are many ways to discover abandoned places. Here are some techniques we use:

• Google Earth is your friend for finding the location’s GPS coordinates.
• On some urbexer blogs, you can find clues about the history of places or the regions in which they are located.
• Sometimes archival images or satellite views.
• By digging a little on the web, you could discover other clues that, little by little, will lead you to its more precise location: a department, a city for example.
• There are many archive sites of a country’s monuments: castles, religious buildings, mansions, hotels, health buildings… It’s up to you to find them and flush out the places that seem abandoned to you.
• Some forums have topics dedicated to abandoned places. You might find many clues and sometimes even the coordinates. But we recommend doing your own research instead.
• An effective technique is to monitor the local/regional press which sometimes features ruined buildings seeking restoration or for sale.

Be careful, the places of urbex are not eternal! When you find a spot, always check that it hasn’t been demolished, bought out, or renovated. Often happened with us, that when we went to a place, the building was already demolished, or being repaired. Try to find out from the community of urbexers if anyone has been there recently and in what state the place is. Some places that are still abandoned are less interesting after a few years when too many people have discovered the address and thieves/thieves/squatters have invited themselves.

What is certain is that the addresses of urbex places have to be earned! We are not fiercely opposed to the exchange of spots, but it must be done between urbexers who are already experienced and respectful of the places.

• first aid kit (we always bring a pack of adhesive plaster, Sprinkling vulnerary powder, you can easily get injured, cut; betadine)
• closed shoes (with tick sole, a sharp angle can transpierce anytime)
• helmet (if you are going to factories)
• long trousers
• flashlight/headlight
• water
• spare batteries for your camera/action camera
• extra memory card
• small stand
• lens cover (when you are climbing to dirty places)
• UV filter for protecting your lenses
• + written permission (if you can contact the owner before)

EASY

• Open for public
• Easy to reach the entrance / or there is no entrance
• No dangerous spots

MEDIUM

• Not open for public
• There are dangerous parts – holes, no fences on staircases

HARD

• Hard to get in without permission
• It might be guarded by security or dogs / you have to hide or be invisible as much as possible
• You have to climb fences to get in / or swim
• You might need to clear the area of plants to be able to reach the entrance point
• There are dangerous areas inside, holes, climbs, chemicals, etc.
• Danger of collapse
• Rooms without any lights

CLOSED

• Impossible to get in without permission
• It’s locked, entering only possible as breaking in
• Security is obviously presented/visible at the location

✪ Abandoned, but not so interesting, no graffiti

✪✪ “Clean” abandoned places, or ruins which are allowed to be visited by government

✪✪✪ Most interesting abandoned places

✪✪✪✪ Best Urbex sites, with lots of interesting objects, or rooms/buildings to discover, amazing graffitis, etc