Shoutout to @architectureofdoom for sending me down a vortex of research about my hometown’s main library in Inglewood, CA. I always loved visiting the library and my high school was right next to it, which meant I’d often stop by after school to dig up some new book about Star Wars or just random stuff I found on my wanderings. In hindsight, the physical contrast of this sort of brutalist structure amid the surrounding neighborhood really felt like I was transported to a different world. I had a somber childhood and don’t like visiting Inglewood except to see my parents and siblings, but places like this library always put me in a great mood.

The photos here are from this short article, and there’s a bit more history of the civic center here.

rainandbone:

1.) The One
“This is also inside the abandoned power
plant in Budapest. It’s an impressive place, with a huge sense of scale,
abandoned machinery everywhere and a strong, haunting atmosphere. I
felt like I was in a science fiction movie, and wanted to create my own
world.”

2.) Lost in Space
“This image is the result of 180 kilometres
of off-road driving in the Kazakhstan desert, followed by 45 kilometres
of walking in a highly restricted area. We arrived and there they were;
two relics of the Soviet space race in a huge abandoned warehouse. It
may be the single most epic scene I’ve discovered since picking up a
camera.”

3.) The Lost Era
“This is the Buzludzha monument itself. I
decided to explore the monument at night, defying the thick fog wrapping
the mountain, to experience a close encounter of the third kind!”

4.) The Mothership

“Linnahall is a former concert hall in
Tallinn, Estonia. With a two minute exposure, I could reveal the
architecture of the place, which otherwise sat in darkness. To me, it
almost looks like a spaceship.”

5.) High Frequency

“This picture was taken in a disused
experimental power facility near Moscow, which was closely guarded by
half a dozen dogs. After a little persuasive discussion, the caretaker
let us in.”

6.) Time Capsule

“In Budapest, I also explored this
derelict train graveyard. Located in the middle of an active train
depot, I felt like a child escaping reality to walk for a few hours in
an imagined world of steel monsters.”

7.) Don’t Fall
“This is a strange structure I found near
Sofia, in Bulgaria. The building seemed to be pulling me in. With this
image, I wanted to express something impossible, like the work of
Escher.”

rainandbone:

1.) The One
“This is also inside the abandoned power
plant in Budapest. It’s an impressive place, with a huge sense of scale,
abandoned machinery everywhere and a strong, haunting atmosphere. I
felt like I was in a science fiction movie, and wanted to create my own
world.”

2.) Lost in Space
“This image is the result of 180 kilometres
of off-road driving in the Kazakhstan desert, followed by 45 kilometres
of walking in a highly restricted area. We arrived and there they were;
two relics of the Soviet space race in a huge abandoned warehouse. It
may be the single most epic scene I’ve discovered since picking up a
camera.”

3.) The Lost Era
“This is the Buzludzha monument itself. I
decided to explore the monument at night, defying the thick fog wrapping
the mountain, to experience a close encounter of the third kind!”

4.) The Mothership

“Linnahall is a former concert hall in
Tallinn, Estonia. With a two minute exposure, I could reveal the
architecture of the place, which otherwise sat in darkness. To me, it
almost looks like a spaceship.”

5.) High Frequency

“This picture was taken in a disused
experimental power facility near Moscow, which was closely guarded by
half a dozen dogs. After a little persuasive discussion, the caretaker
let us in.”

6.) Time Capsule

“In Budapest, I also explored this
derelict train graveyard. Located in the middle of an active train
depot, I felt like a child escaping reality to walk for a few hours in
an imagined world of steel monsters.”

7.) Don’t Fall
“This is a strange structure I found near
Sofia, in Bulgaria. The building seemed to be pulling me in. With this
image, I wanted to express something impossible, like the work of
Escher.”