Veronika Schmude at Apple Jacks Studio

“I went running out on the eye beam because I saw this shot.  And my friends were like, ‘They were right about you!'”  Veronika Schmude is an urban explorer who loves to takes risks to get a great photo.  Veronika asked DoN to help her hang her show at Apple Jacks Studio at 319 North 11th St, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, the arts building near Vine Street, it’s flattering to be asked for artistic advise, especially in a hot art spot like the Khmer Building with Vox Populi and Tiger Strikes Asteroid.  We decided to arrange the work formally with an even eyesight line with some quirky informal arrangement of the smaller pieces mixed in.  With the broad spectrum lighting Veronika installed and the industrial loft vibe of the gallery, the photographs looked perfectly amazing.

Veronika Schmude at Apple Jacks Studio

Veronika Schmude explained to DoN, “All of these are the Richmond Power Plant except for the center piece, the center one is called Machine and was taken at Global Dye.  Which they’re apparently shooting a movie in; the Richmond Power Plant had a bunch of movies shot there: 12 Monkeys (Special Edition), is the most known, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Two-Disc Special Edition), that was shot there as well, parts of it and it’s actually a fascinating building.” DoN wondered how one get’s inside a locale like an abandoned power plant?  “They make attempts to keep us out by putting grating and a fence but..” A conversation starts between Veronika and a couple of her explorer pals about which tools the authorities would be consider those used for breaking and entering and those for hobbyists, Dremel Rotary Tools are for hobbyists (wink, wink!)

Acting normal and like you belong there is a technique the explorers use if confronted with questions as to why they’re there.  “I’ve always been fascinated with abandoned buildings and industrial sites since I was a kid.  I would go into abandoned buildings in the town I grew up in, Springdale PA, about forty miles outside of Pittsburgh.  And between the abandoned warehouses along the train tracks and the abandoned homes I came across interesting stories and one story in particular.“

Veronika Schmude at Apple Jacks Studio

“There was this one house that was cut into three different apartments.  Well, this one apartment I went into, they were all open, because it was a small town and they didn’t need to lock up anything really.  Everything was left as is, they literally picked up and left, down to food on the stove in the pot and I ended up later meeting the woman who used to live there.  She was obese to the point of bed-ridden, her husband had elephantiasis, and they used to have two kids living in this apartment.  And, according to them, these children became possessed and they literally had to pick up and leave and the children were eventually taken away because they were, well, they had some problems.”

DoN asked Veronika about the emotional sensations she experiences exploring abandoned spaces since she started as a kid?  “Yeah, I have to say there is something almost appealing, very sexy about the whole smell of, like, decay and rust and the air’s so thick you can feel the particles, there’s dust landing on you. There’s something like also very innocent about it because it takes me back to my childhood, but, it’s a thrill, too.  I mean, it’s definitely a rush getting into these places without getting busted.  Getting back out with everything intact.  Some buildings I have to be quicker than others, get in and get out, depending on if there’s homeless or whatnot, squatters.  I shoot with a Canon 450D, on my last shoot which at the Saint Nickolas Coal breakers I borrowed a friends camera, both Canon, and an Canon XTi, the Canon XTi has a 135 mm wide angle and my camera, the 450D, had a 90 mm normal lens which I use for closer, smaller shots.  I use a color enhancing filter and I adjust my white balance to give a warm tone or a cool tone…which gives that warm red hue, makes the rust colors really pop.”

Veronika Schmude at Apple Jacks Studio, 319 North 11th Street, Floor 4, Philadelphia PA 19107

Written and photographed by DoN Brewer

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