Manchester is a city that leaves me wondering everyday “if only that shop could tell a story, if only that sign, if only that alley way.” Everywhere you look their are pieces of what has been left behind always making me wonder why it was, and how long it has been there.  Perhaps my wonder relates to the fact that my home country is so young.  Anything remotely old draws me in like a moth to a light and my curiosity spins.

Each day my cycle commute takes me through one of the oldest parts of the city where much happened in the industrial revolution, Ancoats and the Northern Quarter.  Reading the history of these areas is awful with 100-hour work weeks, slums, hunger, and stained buildings from all of the coal churning out of the cotton processing mills.  One woman was so hungry she stole in broad daylight food from a market for herself, her children and for her friends.  Her penalty was to be hung.  I consider myself very fortunate to be born in a this day and age, and to be born in a country where I am able to freely express myself, and not be a victim of caste, sexuality or gender.  It is humbling when I get disgruntled about silly things like not having wine to go with dinner as one fact remains: at least I have dinner.

It appears as though Banksy may have come to our fair city and left his mark which has been covered up until very recently. Since it was discovered the council have covered it will a clear perplex frame and guarded it with with wire fence which Dane talks about here.

Only a few blocks from the city centre is Ancoats, an area of Manchester with a deep history of industrial age, poverty, mills of cotton and all sorts of historical nastiness. Some of the old mills have been turned into fancy office blocks, or apartments, but many including the Bank of England building lie empty, slowly rotting away.

I love urban decay photography, because to me it represents impermanence. And even photography itself if a representation of it, as every photo is a snap shot of time than is always changing, every second.

- Stephen James Joyce

K’Rd, Auckland

Federal st. Taken with a 55mm Takumar lenses. Compared to portrait 25mm wide lenses digital (below). I really like the texture of film. It’s more meaty. Not so smooth.