Amylum Aquitaine

This derelict industrial building was located on the less inhabited side of the River Garonne in Bordeaux.  The front door was wide open, some of the rooms had been completely trashed, and some were in near perfect condition with new-looking swivel chairs and well-kept carpet.  I didn’t go upstairs because I was pretty certain that the upper floor was being lived in by a group of squatters – and interrupting them is not something that I wished to do!  The pram hanging ominously in the doorway and the builders hat hung up on the bannisters showed that it was definitely frequented by people…  Apparently the sign ‘Amylum Aquitaine’ hints at the idea that the building would have once been a sugar factory or similar – Aquitaine being the district in which Bordeaux is and Amylum the plant that produces sugar.  Another interesting reminder of the obsoletion of modern life, now lost in the rubble.

Projet Darwin

 

Projet Darwin is a project space to the South of the river Garonne in Bordeaux famous for its legal graffitti walls: colourful images creep across the sprawling derelict buildings – making the space one of the first lawful abandoned areas that I have visited… An incredible place to visit!! The area includes a big eco garden with eco friendly mobile homes for the volunteers to live in, an impressive indoor skating warehouse, as well as one for BMXers and roller bladers… There is also a great cafe/restaurant and there are frequently events for professional extreme sports people as well as markets selling hand-made products..  A great place to stumble upon and one of the best uses of a derelict area that I’ve seen, not quite lost in the rubble!