In the
post-apocalyptic films when the camera pans down the abandoned streets of Tokyo
or New York long after people have disappeared and the buildings have fallen
into shabbiness, we see nature thriving. Like trees and plants take hold in the
sidewalks and wild animals like deer, bears, and lions stalk the ruins left
behind by humans. But after descending the staircase at a vacant shopping mall
in Bangkok, professional cook and photographer Jesse Rockwell discovered a
wholly different take on beasts inheriting the Earth, specifically exotic koi
and catfish teeming by the thousands in a secret subterranean aquarium.
A former 4
storey shopping mall, originally constructed as an 11 storey building found to
be in breach of old town Bangkok’s 4 storey limits on building heights. The top
7 floors were smashed to adhere to building codes in 1997. However in 1999 the
mall burned due to suspected arson committed by a competitor in the area. The
disaster resulted in numerous casualties, and the building has remained
abandoned ever since. Amazingly not having a roof, the basement floor remains
under quite a lot of feet of water year round.
In the early of year 2000s an unidentified person starts introducing a
small population of exotic Koi and Catfish species. The small population of
fish starts to thrive and the result is now a self-sustained and astonishingly
populated urban aquarium. What a remarkable discovery it makes you surprise
what else lurks in abandoned places around the world? You can see more of
Rockwell’s photography over on 500px and on his website, Taste of the Road.
Jesse Rockwell Website & Jesse Rockwell on 500px.com
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