Photography & Digital ArtFEB 14, 2022

16 Photos I Took While Exploring Abandoned Places In Tbilisi

By Deleted User, Violeta Draseikaitė and Rokas J.

205

Located in a deep valley, Tbilisi is a city of contrasts built along the riverbank of the Kura, and it is situated in the Republic of Georgia.

The architecture here marks a journey through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with balconies on the old houses to unique Soviet structures, right up to the ultra-modern skyscrapers and bridges. The past is not overly polished either to be honest, unlike in many other cities that renovate to the point where buildings lose any sense of authenticity. While that has happened to a limited extent, especially in the section of the Old Town around the slopes of Narikala Fortress, a lot of abandoned buildings in this beautiful place remain untouched by restoration projects.

There are acres of tired, graceful, old buildings with cracked walls and decades of layers of fading and peeling paint. Small and large abandoned places with leaning balconies and ancient wooden doors leading to courtyards with family biographies dating back centuries. Right up my street!

Here are just some of my architecture photography shots taken over the course of eighteen months of places that are now featured on my 1-day walking tours that take place until November this year.

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#1 The Former Hotel London, A Stunning Staircase In The Heart Of Tbilisi

66points

Most of the places pictured are actually homes or entrances to homes that are lived in, people should really respect that as well. Tbilisi is a fast-changing city, in fact, many of these places are already under threat or have been renovated/destroyed. The aesthetic of the old town and other areas East of the river really draw you in though - even to this day. I really hope as it develops it keeps some of this charm.

#2 Soviet Twirls & Swirls - Former Cable Car Station In Tbilisi (Now Full Of Graffiti)

62points

#3 Circling Around - A Stunning Stairwell In Tbilisi

61points

When it comes to photography, it's about style and colouring. So many photographs now travel and visit spots (including these) around the world. You can't stand out, or lay claim to a single location and pretend that this is then art. In fact - developing skills to progress as a photographer is the most important thing, followed by an editing style that usually develops over time. Breaking the rules can then create something special as you progress.

One of my favorite photographers of Architecture is actually Robert Paladori, he is a Canadian-American photographer known for his large-scale color images of urban environments and interiors - he visits places usually soon after disasters for example, but shoots on large format film. Outside of architecture - it is Elia Locardi, colourful and inspiring travel photography, and a leader in style creation.

#4 Abandoned Cinema Built In The Early 1900s

61points

#5 S Curve - The Same Staircase, A Different Angle

57points

Ideas for places to go and shoot is something I have started really working on in the last few years. I always ensure to back up on the go, I catalog in Adobe Lightroom and edit usually each works in Photoshop - occasionally adding colours or textures external to that with plugins if needed. I photograph my thumb occasionally - haha, this is if I have focus-stacked, it then reminds me I have done so when looking through my Lightroom catalog at a later date. For mapping places, I use Google maps.

#6 The Most Popular Spot “Unknown”, Town House At 9 Geronti Kikodze St

51points

#7 Mezzanine - A Stunning Entertainment Hall That Lays Derelict

50points

As for the future of my work, I can't predict what will happen to this diminishing industry as time moves on. However, I would like to exhibit more in the coming years, mainly in Sweden, the US, and perhaps Italy. I just released two books at the tail end of last year - Fabrica (which, I am really proud of) and Abandoned Lebanon - those were my aims for 2021. I also hope to be able to get out and photograph the many places I researched over the last two years - that would be great!