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Time Machine: Swirling photographs of Bauhaus and Art Deco staircases in Budapest

For me, this glorious series of images by Balint Alovits reminds me of Day of the Tentacle, a classic computer game that I spent hours happily playing as a kid. Entitled Time Machine, the swirls and twists of various staircases, shot from above, can be disorientating and as though you're falling down Lewis Carroll's rabbit hole.

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Overhead view of a spiralling Bauhaus staircase with curved white concrete balconies and metal railings framed against bright blue walls, creating a dizzying geometric pattern receding into the distance

Apparently, it's a deliberate study of Bauhaus and Art Deco caracoles in Budapest, Hungary. "The photographs show spiral staircases from the same central perspective," explains Balint. "With the pulling energy of these spiral forms, the works of Time Machine create a new dimension by splitting space and time, while staying within the visual limits of the project’s concept, while the perception of the architectural details evokes the idea of infinity."

A freelance photographer in Budapest, Balint graduated from the Metropolitan University with a degree in photography in 2014. His photographic work is simple, precise and airy and most of his projects are based on spatiality. Find out more at www.balintalovits.com.

All images courtesy of Balint Alovits

Overhead view of a spiral staircase with black metal railings and cream and grey diamond-patterned walls receding into the distance
Overhead view of a spiralling staircase with cream-coloured walls and metal railings, creating a mesmerising concentric pattern that recedes towards the centre
Overhead view of a spiral staircase with black metal railings and beige steps spiralling inward towards a vanishing point, creating a hypnotic circular pattern
Concentric spiral staircase viewed from above, with terracotta-coloured walls and alternating dark and white railings descending to a central vanishing point
Concentric triangular staircase viewed from directly above, creating a geometric tunnel effect with alternating light and dark steps receding towards the centre
Overhead view of a spiral staircase with white steps and ornate metalwork railings spiralling downward against a bright blue background
Overhead view of a spiral staircase with concentric square wooden railings, creating a dizzying perspective looking down through multiple floors
Concentric spiral staircase viewed from directly above, with ornate railings and geometric patterns descending towards a bright central point
Overhead view of a spiralling staircase with concentric oval railings descending into a small golden-toned opening at the centre, creating an infinite tunnel effect
Concentric spiral staircase viewed from above, with white and grey architectural details receding towards a central vanishing point
Concentric oval and rectangular shapes spiral inward in a Bauhaus staircase photographed from directly above, creating a hypnotic abstract pattern in black and white
Concentric triangular light wells create a dizzying perspective viewed from directly below in Balint Alovits' Time Machine series
Overhead view of a white spiral staircase with concentric curved bands creating a hypnotic swirling pattern, from Balint Alovits's Time Machine series
Overhead view of a spiral staircase with concentric geometric curves receding towards a bright central point, creating a hypnotic tunnel effect
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