Let's face it, there are places in this world that most of us could never imagine being abandoned, and Disney World tops that list.
Disney River Country opened as Walt Disney World's first water park in 1976 and would cease operations in 2001. It was announced shortly after that the park would be closed permanently. Along with Discovery Island, it is one of only two Disney parks in Disney's history to ever close permanently. Both of the parks were left to slowly decay and to succumb to Mother Nature, leaving behind a beautiful apocalyptic landscape.
Next month will mark 40 years since the opening day of River Country. I wanted to capture powerful images that would show this eerie, abandoned Disney park, but I wanted it to be absolutely beautiful at the same time.
Over the years, I have created apocalyptic imagery of abandoned places all across America, many of which shocked people who never thought these places ever existed. Most of these images are depressing but thought provoking, nonetheless. They are like the twisted car wreck on the side of a freeway that we all slow down as we pass and find ourselves staring at the scene before accelerating back to work. People just can't seem to avoid looking at my images, even though they may not want to look. It isn't just a morbid fascination, either. For most, my images bring back personal memories in ways words could never do. Other times, my images spark political debate and even awareness to various social issues that America faces.
Not all of my photo projects have a deep underlying message, but, undoubtedly, Disney World symbolizes capitalism in America, and there are people in this world that would enjoy seeing that crumble to the ground.
As I aimlessly walked around the Magic Kingdom during my visit, I noticed a lot of people just trying to escape from the ugly reality that surrounds us all. I suppose, for some of us that day, we were simply letting Rome burn.
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