MBP 6

Places have their own ways of telling stories. Some of my favorite places in Milledgeville to marvel in are the grounds of the former state prison and insane asylum. If you are able to get close enough to the buildings, it is clear that there was a dark history here and it is exiting to fall in to the spooky mystery of the notorious abandoned properties.

In examination of the space in the photo above, the architectural arrangement of the tall, rusted metal fence with double layers of large shiny razor wire on top, roughly 50 yards from the solid brick buildings, communicates that the contents within the confines of the fence are meant to be isolated from the outside world. Outsiders look in on the chaotic overgrowth of plants, grass, and weeds in contrast with the large symmetrical buildings in what is now a quiet and eerie atmosphere. It suggests that the people within here would have been bad or a dangerous threat to those on the outside of the fence, but they were constrained and controlled. The green of the plants and red of the brick emphasize each other and seem to further convey this allusion of conformity vs. rebellion which relate to preexisting perceptions about prisons, as the hues are both working together to develop unity but also pushing against each other. In a space that is known to be abandoned, it communicates an unsettling feeling to viewers and incites curiosity about the experience, though those outside are never allowed to enter. And while it is now empty, it is clear that those inside would have been expected to look beyond the walls with reflection, introspection, and hope to again explore the wonders outside.