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Hell's Gate



I believe, one of the first reasons why I took up photography was because of these gates. 

I'm a huge fan of urban exploration and I've always wanted to explore the forgotten, trace the memories of the people who inhabited that place, and perhaps, find a hidden sanctuary that I can make my own. I was taken in by the beautiful and haunting photographs of abandoned places posted online and realized that there are many interesting buildings and places around the city that has been abandoned and not fully explored and photographed.

With the rapid speed of development of the city and the disregard to historical architecture, these buildings will be forgotten forever. To me, it feels as if that every time a historical building is destroyed, the unique identity of the city is destroyed and it ignorantly transform into another typical modern city. 

The identity of the city is the reflection of the history and future of the people. If we fail to understand that the city is a living part of us and not just a conglomeration of physical properties built, bought, and sold for the sake of making profits, we begin to lose our culture, history, and values. For this, I believe that we should always try to retain certain relics in every area of the city so the people may always have a reminder of who they are, where they came from, and how the area came to be. We should always be thankful for the environment that has nurtured us and brought us much wealth.

As for the photograph above, it is what remains of an old Chinese mortuary in the middle of the city. Standing alone in the middle of an overgrown field, the gateway looks like a portal that connects the physical world with the underworld. Every time I drive pass, it always seem to call out to me, sweetly seducing my curiosity into walking through the gate and into another world filled with adventure, leaving my dull life for something more exhilarating. 

For now, I have been able to resist its temptation for the current world is full of places to be explored and photograph, but perhaps, in the future, who knows?

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6

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Location: Taman Chung Hua, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

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