Photographs of abandoned factories and industry in the former Soviet state of Georgia

Renowned for producing metals, machinery, wine, chemicals and textiles – these industries thrived until the collapse of the USSR in 1991 when the once-prosperous facilities were left behind or demolished.

It's claimed that scrap metal became the country's leading export commodity during the years after independence. Many of these factories are in ruin today as the economy diversified, but some continue to operate or have been repurposed by local people.

Koopmans and Wexell visited some of the country's most striking industrial sites and found a fascinating collision of the past and present. "Many places seem to be frozen in time," says Koopmans. "It's as if the machines have suddenly stopped working and as if the workers left from one day to the next.

"Some question the beauty and value of these places, as they come with a history that many, especially Georgians, find to be very problematic. However when you look at them as archeological relics, as indicators of a unique past in place and time, there's an interest that draws us to photograph them before they disappear forever."