Charleroi

There is nothing like the images one experiences in the Wallonian city of Charleroi. When I first visited in 2018, I knew right away I wanted to shoot everything about this place. I researched and asked questions about the city, and why it was under so much construction. It was actually voted the ugliest city in the world at one point.

It is the home of my wife, and within six months of my first visit I found myself living there. After focusing on the construction and people of the city I started to explore the abandoned places of the city, heavy on the urban exploration elements, I realized that this cities history lied in it’s secret places and abandoned structures, which were scattered about the region.

Since 2018, I have been shooting all aspects of this city, new and old, buildings being constructed and buildings being torn down. I research, locate, and shoot to the best of my ability, sometimes illegally entering a site. Photographing locations that capture my imagination and places that may never be again. This process is exhilarating and sometimes scary, especially since Charleroi is a rough city; and when I enter abandoned places I continually look over my shoulder. I hope that by sharing these photos, people will want to visit Charleroi for its amazing sense of lost Industrialism, in a region of Belgium where the people are the salt of the earth- old and abandoned structures - and this interest will help bring new economy and vibrance to this tiny city in the Pays Noir.