Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.
Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.

Overgrown

Provenance

Camera
NIKON D850
Lens
14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings
14mm · f/8.0 · 1/200 · ISO 100
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

Lush vines and foliage engulf a decaying internal corridor at Waterfall Sanatorium. Sunlight streams through shattered windows, highlighting the relentless advance of nature within the abandoned structure.

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.
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In situ

Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.Overgrown at Waterfall Sanatorium, ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor.
01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title
Overgrown
Series
Waterfall Sanatorium
Catalogue
WSA-034
Process
Giclée
Captured
24 June 2018
Camera
NIKON D850
Lens
14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture
f/8.0
Shutter
1/200 s
ISO
100
Focal length
14 mm
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size
290 × 200 mm
Location
Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia
Authenticity
C2PA verified provenance →
Recognised by
Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards
03 THE STORY

About this print

Vines and foliage have grown into an internal corridor at Waterfall Sanatorium. Sunlight enters through shattered windows along the corridor and falls across the plants and the floor. The walls of the corridor are plastered, the paint peeling. The growth follows the line of the windows where the light is strongest.

Waterfall Sanatorium sits on bush land approximately 26 miles south of Sydney at around 1,000 feet elevation. The site was chosen for its bush atmosphere under the medical thinking of the era. The sanatorium opened on 14 April 1909 and closed in 1958 when antibiotic therapy made the isolation model unnecessary. The disused parts of the site have been progressively reclaimed by the surrounding bush in the decades since.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

Ferns and dried grass push through cracks in the concrete floor. A steel post and horizontal rail divide the frame, both dark with oxidation. Behind them, tall timber-framed windows let in flat afternoon light. Several panes are missing. Paint peels from the walls in wide curls, exposing plaster beneath. The yellow dado line still holds its colour.

Brett Patman

Waterfall Sanatorium

The series

Waterfall Sanatorium

2016–2018 · 54 photographs

The first patients arrived at the Hospital for Consumptives, Waterfall on 14 April 1909, with initial provision for 180 men. A women's wing opened in May 1912 for 120; by 1919 it had become the largest sanatorium in New South Wales, holding 788 patients. The site sat at about 1,000 feet (305 m), 26 miles (42 km) south of Sydney, on the medical theory that tuberculosis needed 'high and rarefied atmosphere in the country away from the grime and pollution of cities'.

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
07 MORE FROM WATERFALL SANATORIUM

53 other prints in this series

All prints
Bathrooms at Waterfall Sanatorium, a brown vinyl armchair sits centre-frame on a floor thick with plaster dust and debris.
Bathrooms $100.00
Looking Out at Waterfall Sanatorium, broken windows viewing out towards the overgrown grounds of Waterfall Sanatorium.
Looking Out $100.00
Hanging Garden at Waterfall Sanatorium, a fern growing in brickwork between two bathroom doors.
Hanging Garden $100.00
Washroom at Waterfall Sanatorium, a narrow brick corridor opens toward a bank of timber-framed windows.
Washroom $100.00
08 BY POST · NO SPAM

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