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Ask the Dust: A creepy photographic feast of urban ruin, abandonment and decay

In his fascinating series Ask the Dust, photographer Romain Veillon takes us on an epic journey through ruins from the genteel parlours of long dead haute bourgeoisie families to the sparse industrial beauty of mid-century factories as they quietly rust away. Like a vivid daydream, you find yourself absorbed in wordless reveries from image to image.

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Derelict interior with bright blue walls and sand-covered floor, viewed through doorways with warm light filtering through successive rooms

Now available as a photo book, Ask the Dust is a feast of urban ruin photography, executed in gorgeous full colour, full page spreads framed by the overview of the young French adventurer behind the camera. Featuring a potent blend of haunting images of never before seen locations and new angles on classic subjects, it's a visual treat for anyone who cannot keep their eyes away from the elegant corruption of decomposing buildings.

Romain goes out to discover the things that progress has left behind and bring them back to the rest of us in his hauntingly beautiful images. The edge of the world is now found in the crumbling edifices left behind by the endless expansion of the built environment. Into these weird castles he brings his big light, to reanimate, for the space of a hot-triggered-slave-flash-fire, a fragment of a sunken reality.

This collection of images is as disturbing and hypnotic as any requiem should be – and it offers an exquisite moment of escape from a culture increasingly experienced as a lifetime of frenetic activity divorced from any chance for reflection. Discover more of Romain's beautiful work at www.romainveillon.com.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of Romain Veillon

Interior of an abandoned ornate glass conservatory with geometric ironwork roof panels, central white column and decaying brick planter beds beneath overgrown vegetation
Overgrown vegetation reclaims an ornate abandoned chapel interior with soaring Gothic arched windows and intricate stone carved panels
Derelict industrial building interior with rusted metal doors lining both sides and a large arched window framing the exterior landscape, moss covering the concrete floor
Decaying neoclassical interior with ornate ceiling, peeling walls and creeping vines trailing down through a central archway towards overgrown vegetation outside
Abandoned ornate interior with decorative wooden panelling, fireplaces and moss-covered floor beneath a deteriorating brick ceiling with natural light filtering through.
Rubbish and debris scattered in a shadowy cave opening with emerald water below and a shaft of light illuminating the rocky walls from above
Decaying neoclassical interior with ornate ceiling, arched colonnade, metal railings and a central staircase lit by an oval skylight above
An ornate abandoned interior with deteriorating pale walls decorated with faded murals and gilded details, featuring tall arched windows and balconies overlooking a lower level
Abandoned ornate theatre interior with cream and red decorated ceiling, grand chandelier, curved balcony with radiating windows and dark wooden stage door
Overgrown conservatory with curved glass dome and metal framework, dense ivy covering the floor and walls with abandoned wooden furniture visible inside
Dilapidated interior room with peeling wallpaper, ornate ceiling details and exposed structural damage, showing a sunlit window overlooking overgrown grounds below
Faded frescoes of classical figures adorn the walls and ceiling of an abandoned palatial room with peeling plaster and doorways opening to bright light
Dilapidated kitchen with peeling walls, debris-covered floor, vintage stove, old television on wooden stand and green cabinet, from Romain Veillon's Ask the Dust series
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