Jeff Vanderpool

Jeff Vanderpool’s series, Dreams Abandoned, looks at the unfinished concrete structures that have become more and more common in the Greek landscape. In these images some of the structures are reminiscent of ancient ruins forgotten in our time; others appear to be contemporary sculptures sitting awkwardly in idillic locations.

The Greek landscape is scattered with these unfinished structures, many of which sit in its most scenic spots. The reasons these projects have been abandoned vary. They include: lack of funding, lack of building permits, violations of land use/building regulations, and property inheritance disputes. The concrete skeleton, which is often built in haste, also serves to lay claim to the land and indemnify the owner against unfavourable changes in the law or disputes over the land’s rightful owner.

On a basic level these structures represent our insatiable desire to build. In practical terms they were intended to be a beautiful building in the perfect place.

Many of these structures were intended as second homes or commercial enterprises in idyllic locations. They stand as monuments to abandoned dreams of expansion and development, monuments to the time in which we live.