Fusing urban exploration with her trademark sense of wonder, famed videogame creator Ikumi Nakamura has spent over a decade infiltrating top-secret locations worldwide. Her daring escapades tap into a lost spirit of true adventure, proving that the world is still full of secrets and mystery, just waiting to be revealed. From derelict shipyards and military bases to colossal cooling towers, haunted hotels, and mystical islands, this book is packed with places you thought could only exist in videogames.
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, "I love breaking boundaries and making people say ´WOW.´ As artists, we use our imagination to see the INVISIBLE."
With a foreword by videogame designer-turned-photographer Liam Wong, Project UrbEx also features sections of Nakamura’s personal travel diaries, printed on pages with a narrower width in a rich Pantone black and illustrated by specially commissioned, exclusive manga—bringing her much-loved sense of humor to the forefront of the narrative and displaying her keen interest in exploring many mediums of creativity.
A thrilling photographic adventure through an offbeat ѕelection 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.