Deserted Space

This series of photographs was created at Fort Worden, a decommissioned World War I Army base overlooking the Puget Sound in Port Townsend, Washington. Closed in 1953, the fort has since become a canvas for generations of local graffiti artists. The aging concrete bunkers, once instruments of military defense, now stand as evolving monuments to time, neglect, and creative expression.

Layer upon layer of graffiti has accumulated over more than half a century—paint scrawls, tags, murals, and messages—each adding to a vibrant visual palimpsest. Combined with the decay of the structures themselves, the result is an unintentional collaboration: a chaotic, beautiful study in texture, color, and form. What began as utilitarian architecture has, through the passage of time and the persistence of mark-making, become a series of abstract compositions—equal parts history, entropy, and art.