Spirit of Place

What happens to buildings when they are no longer needed or have outlasted their original purpose? They are either lovingly restored so they can be used for something else--or they fall into ruin, where they remain silent as witnesses of a bygone era. French photographer Aurelien Villette has made it his mission to trace these dilapidated buildings--some completely forgotten by history--capture and their incomparable beauty in wondrous color photographs. Whether his subject is a Christian chapel, an erstwhile theater, or the events center in a former Communist country, Villette brings the spirit and pathos of the place once embodied back to life. At the same time, the ruins in his evocative photographs are stylized to create cultural heirlooms of the various periods countries and where they are located.