"LE GAZOMÈTRE ABANDONNÉ"
“You should have absolutely no fear of heights or claustrophobia to enter a gasometer. It is an unnatural weird place without any kind of nature in it, a purely technical construction to hold gas and to distribute.”
A gas holder, sometimes called a gasometer, is a large container in which coal gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. Inside this forgotten gasometer the oxygen is horrible and low. Certainly when the weather is hot and when there is almost no wind. It is a giant closed tube with just a few openings for breathing. These openings are in fact for control and constructions works. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressure coming from the weight of a telescopic movable cap. Heavyweight pulleys mounted on the cap are connected with steel cables.
Once the gas holder and attached power station where prosperous with a steel and heavy industry but now it has fallen silent in decline. Due to active protests in 2006 from Greenpeace about the coal fired power station it gained negative exposure and became subsequently closed in 2007. Described in 2009 by an article in the Telegraph newspaper as the most depressing area in Europe, compared with Detroit in the USA.
Some action and surrounding photographs at the gasholder.
The inside of the gas holder is dark and it took some time to get my eyes focused properly. It was a real challenge to get the difficult perspectives and available light perfectly photographed. Getting down with my photogear through the small but long stairway was tricky. Sometimes these constructions are reused as diving facilities, but a swimming pool with sauna could work as well.
Le Gazomètre at night! Despite the seemingly quietness in the evening one has to be careful roaming around in these dangerous urban surroundings.
By winds carried sounds of the nearby town brings noises of drunk folks, barking dogs and regularly sirens of the police. Dark and sinister people are dealing drugs.
FINE ART PRINTING
Fine Art Prints range from 135m up till 360cm wide can be ordered through my website!
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All artwork is personally signed, numbered and accomplished with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Don't hesitate to ask questions about quantity and pricing. Thanks in advance!
Don't hesitate to ask questions about quantity and pricing. Thanks in advance!
Watch more work at my website: www.janstel.nl
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