Project UrbEx

A thrilling photographic adventure around an offbeat selection of the world’s abandoned buildings, captured by one of the videogame industry’s most beloved creatives.

Urban exploration is a way of life for those who choose it as their passion. The secrets and mysteries that disused places incite can be intoxicating and inspiring. As Nakamura has said herself, ‘I love breaking boundaries and making people say “WOW”. As artists, we use our imagination to see the INVISIBLE.

Project UrbEx documents a multitude of abandoned spaces, placing them into thematic sections – from lost hotels and ex-military sites to factories, laboratories and hospitals. A bright Pantone orange ink is used throughout for the text and chapter openers – popping on the page to reflect Nakamura’s sense of fun, vibrance and imagination.

With a foreword by videogame-designer-turned-photographer Liam Wong, the book also features sections of Nakamura’s personal travel diary, printed on pages with a narrower width, in a rich Pantone black. She has also created, and in some cases specially commissioned, exclusive manga drawings to illustrate her words – bringing her much-loved sense of humour to the forefront of the narrative and displaying her keen interest in exploring many mediums of creativity.

About the Author

Ikumi Nakamura is an independent creative, explorer and videogame designer. Since 2004 she has explored and photographed abandoned and uninhabited places and spaces across Europe, Asia and the United States to find inspiration for her games. Influenced by the videogame S.T.A.L.K.E.R., she created a mysterious style of wearing a hoodie and gas mask when exploring. She also aspires to become a secrets hunter on the Japanese TV show Discovery of the World’s Mysteries. The experiences and records of her photography pursuits are published on the website Tomboy Urbex.