Camp Sussex has been abandoned for about 15 years. It is one of the most green and luscious abandoned sites I’ve been to. The buildings blend into the overgrown forest, transforming this old summer camp into a jungle of ivy and concrete. It wasn’t difficult to get in since theres no fence or barrier preventing people from just walking in.
We started at the kitchen/ cafeteria and made our way through the cabins and recreational spaces. When we got to the gymnasium we realized we weren’t alone. We hid behind the basketball hoop and waited. Two people – a young man and young woman in their early 20s walked into the gym. We both greeted each other hesitantly, turns out they were urban explorers like we were so we decided to explore the rest of the space together.
Something creepy that I only noticed after developing my film was that there was a noose tied to the ceiling in the performance space. The noose was tied too small to be intended for human use, but could probably fit a small animal, or perhaps it was put there to scare people.
It is always interesting seeing the traces left behind by the people who once occupied a space. One of my favorite remnants I found at the summer camp was “Meryl + Dave 58” written on the walls with a heart drawn around it. I wondered what happened to Meryl and Dave. Are they still together? Do they think about eachother? About their memories at Camp Sussex? Or maybe they passed away and this is all that remains of them.
URBAN EXPLORING ABANDONED BUILDINGS 