Washroom

Provenance

Camera
NIKON D810
Lens
14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings
14mm · f/9.0 · 1/50 · ISO 80
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

An abandoned washroom at Family School Fureai, Japan. Grimy tiles line the walls and broken sinks sit beneath a dusty mirror. Light filters through a high window, illuminating years of neglect.

Edition
Open edition

Open edition
Printed to order, no fixed quantity. Each print is hand-signed by the photographer.

Limited edition
A fixed number of prints exist. Once sold, the edition closes permanently. Each print is individually numbered and signed.

$100.00 AUD
Size
Type
Colour
Signed, numbered, with COA. Made to order in 10 to 20 business days (framed). Shipped in protective packaging with edition certificate, paper-stock reference and a printed care guide.
See certificate sample →

Shipping Free shipping over $250. Ships worldwide, rates calculated at checkout.

Returns Damaged in transit? We replace it. Full policy →

Ships within 10 business days · signed & numbered

In situ

Washroom at Family School Fureai, a long narrow room with built-in cabinetry lining the right wall.Washroom at Family School Fureai, a long narrow room with built-in cabinetry lining the right wall.Washroom at Family School Fureai, a long narrow room with built-in cabinetry lining the right wall.Washroom at Family School Fureai, a long narrow room with built-in cabinetry lining the right wall.Washroom at Family School Fureai, a long narrow room with built-in cabinetry lining the right wall.
01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title
Washroom
Series
Family School Fureai
Catalogue
FSF-029
Process
Giclée
Captured
28 April 2016
Camera
NIKON D810
Lens
14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture
f/9.0
Shutter
1/50 s
ISO
80
Focal length
14 mm
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size
290 × 200 mm
Location
Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan
Recognised by
Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards
02 LOCATION

Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

A long narrow room with built-in cabinetry lining the right wall. Doors hang open on empty cupboards. The floor is covered in grit, fallen ceiling material, and dark patches of mould. A green padded bench sits near the centre, stacked with debris. Aluminium frames lean against the far wall. Flat grey light enters through a wide window where bare tree branches press close to the glass. Fluorescent light fittings remain bolted to the ceiling, stripped of their tubes.

Brett Patman

Family School Fureai

The series

Family School Fureai

2016 · 30 photographs

Family School Fureai stands on a hillside at the northern end of Yubari in Hokkaido. The building opened on 1 April 1975 as Asahi Elementary School, a new three-storey reinforced-concrete structure built on the site of the demolished wooden Yubari Second Elementary (Daini). It consolidated three local schools - Daini, Fukuzumi and Teibi - that had lost most of their students as Yubari's coal industry shrank. By the early 1980s enrolment had collapsed; the school closed on 31 March 1983 after just eight years. The building stayed empty until Yubari City's tourism third-sector firm Yubari Kanko Kaihatsu, established October 1994, repurposed it as the Family School Fureai public dormitory. In June 2006 Yubari City announced its fiscal collapse; the city formally entered financial reconstruction status on 6 March 2007 and YKK ceased trading 31 March 2007 with ¥5.46 billion of debt. The building has sat empty since. Inside there is no graffiti - only kanji on the chalkboards. Deer and foxes use it now.

View all in this series →

05 SIZE GUIDE

Print sizes

The anatomy view shows what this finish is as a physical object: paper margin, mat band, frame depth, acrylic profile. The comparison strip shows how each size sits relative to the others at true scale. Click a size or a finish to update both.

Anatomy · true ratio
TypeSizeWidthHeight
08 BY POST · NO SPAM

Read the full story

Articles when they're published. The history behind a place. The day of a shoot. The work between prints. No marketing, no schedule.

You're subscribed.