Wikipedia defines urban exploration as “the examination of normally unseen or off-limit sections of urban areas or industrial facilities”, and goes on to say that “the nature of this activity presents various risks, including both physical danger and the possibility of arrest and sequential punishment.”
Thanks to increased media attention, urban exploration has seen a sudden rise in popularity, even prompting the release of a show on the Discovery Channel called Urban Explorers; however a lot of current explorers see this as an issue as not all viewers of the show who become activists are noble enough to abide by the unwritten laws that urbexers have created, which could arise negative connotations towards urban exploring and it’s participants in the future.
One of the unspoken rules is to “take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints.” This simple line is key for many reasons and when followed, lowers the risk of being caught, creates an illusion that you were never there, retains the state of the site and gives no reason for property owners to become stricter. Genuine explorers will never steal, vandalise or damage the property or the building itself, their sole intention is to explore and photograph.
Even so, the involvement in this hobby is still seen as being rather obscure, and I have selected it as the topic for my documentary for this very reason, that it’s a relatively untouched subject that I can really expand upon and explore.
The vast majority of explorers run in extremely close-knit groups that occasionally converse via online forums, and are known to post reports on the buildings they explore. Rarely do they expand on the report itself, and it’s extremely uncommon for them to give out directions or tips on entry. This is because they wish to maintain the low-risk of property owners or authority clocking on to people exploring the buildings, however they will generally advise and warn others on security to avoid detection.
Luckily I already explore regularly with several friends, so I have several locations currently available for exploring. I will record footage from several buildings, including an abandoned orphanage, swimming pool, TV studios, factory warehouse and mill, allowing me to pick and choose from a wide variety of locations.
The target audience for my documentary is hard to pinpoint, however I do expect the general demographic to be young and open to the idea of urban exploring, as several members of older generations I have spoken to have been slightly too closed-minded to completely accept it as an authentic hobby. The younger generation is generally more accepting of the idea of adventure and exploration, however it is not limited to them and I have found some success in reaching out to older generations.
I have drew inspiration and influence from Steve Duncan’s “Undercity”, one of the few existing documentaries on urban exploration in which he explores New York’s transit tunnels, scales Brooklyn Bridge and traverses through The Freedom Tunnel, the name given to the Amtrak Tunnel running underneath Riverside Park in Manhattan, New York.
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