TOW #28: "Abandoned Love"

"Abandoned Love" is a photography series by Peyton Fulford, featuring melancholy and sometimes straight-up heartbreaking phrases and quotes related to lost love and loneliness. What began as a school project in 2015 grew into an international movement, as Fulford called for viewers to submit their own phrases photographed in abandoned spaces in their area. The submissions were received from over 30 different countries, spanning geographic borders and continents to showcase the unique spectrum of human emotion.

The project is incredibly poignant for its use of abandoned context to create a moody, shifting tone. Many of the photographs are taken outside, shot from behind old buildings or featuring decaying garages. The juxtaposition of sentimental text with a seemingly forgotten area leaves the viewer with a feeling of unease. The colors in each photo are limited, spanning from bleak greys to dreary earth tones, with the only vibrant or standout color being the one displayed by the text.

All of these factors work together to create pieces that are not only visually stunning, but also leave viewers with something to think about. The pictures have the capacity to haunt viewers long after they've seen the image, highlighting the dark sides of humanity in more ways than one. Not only is the setting of bleak abandoned spaces eerie enough, the notion that someone has been there - and immortalized their thoughts through text - is incredibly poignant and chilling.

The text used in each image also adds to the emotional weight of the collection. All of these phrases sound so familiar to those who have dealt with heartbreak or loss before in their lives, and they all carry a personal meaning for the artist as well. Posting them publicly and then photographing it is a symbolic way for the writers and photographers to achieve closure. Feelings are transient, but these photos are not.