Peiraiki-Patraiki : the chronicle of an industry’s death foretold

“So many coincidences for the untrammelled fulfilment of a death so clearly foretold.” Gabriel Garcia Marques, Chronicle of a Death Foretold The tall, ghostly tower is a familiar sight at the waterfront industrial zone of Patras, Greece. Visible from the 6 lane motorway upon entering the city from the west, the Peiraiki-Patraiki tower is standing… Read More

Tubular Monuments : the strange allure of basic geometric shapes

“What the fuck are they gonna do with all these tubes? What the hell do they need all these tubes for? Should we perhaps carry the oceans inside all these tubes?” from the song Tubes by Lost Bodies *You’re welcome to expand this article by submitting your photo and description to explore@explorabilia.co.uk   Let there be… Read More

The Pantheon of Energy : mythology and symbolism in Chernobyl

“Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.” Cormac McCarthy, The Road There were no other cars but ours on the long, abandoned motorway to Pripyat. The last living souls we’d seen were the last chance saloon keepers and armed guards at the Exclusion Zone Border about 15 miles ago.… Read More

You haven’t been to London yet

I have been asked recently to reveal my top 5 places someone should be visiting in London in 2018. London is not just about the Big Ben (whose tower will be wrapped in scaffolding for another 3 years) or the Tower of London (I make some allowances, though, for those who like ravens), or even… Read More

The Walking City : How Futurism and Cold War paranoia inspired London’s most visionary architects

“…emerging through a cloud of fumes, the Hayward Gallery rose up on its giant insect-like legs, dust and debris crumbling around it, water from the severed pipes and electric cables crackling in the darkness below. Then a primal roar sounded from the building’s massive ventilation shafts, the sound of a concrete and steel beast, rising… Read More