Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Stories
behind the photographs
...Listen to Urbexers describing their true experiences...
feat. @milkshake.zzz @aka_swaggy @healyzhang
date. 2017
city. Sydney/Shanghai/Chongqing
A New Angle
Perched on the edge of a skyscraper high above Shanghai Lujiazui CBD area, Nancy sits on the spire of a lightning rod as if on a beach, two feet dangling over the abyss. She precariously reaches out the selfie stick over the massive drop to capture the dazzling cityscape. Around 883 feet below, the busy traffic are mere specks of colour, flashing ray of light.
The weather isn't nice, one can barely stand steadily against the strong wind on that narrow top with only one-foot-long radius; nonetheless, she decides to stand up. The wind caused some risks, but when she turns around, the most grandeur view of Shanghai unfolds in her eyes: the Oriental Pearl, Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Centre, World Expo venues, cargos and cruises passing through the Huangpu River, cars and pedestrians drown in the vertiginous tower and neon lights.
At the age of 19, Nancy becomes the first girl to stand on the lightning rod of ONE Lujiazui, the highest rod in the entire Lujiazui CBD, without anyone’s help.
Going by the name of @milkshakezzz on Instragram, Nancy is an ordinary second year undergraduate in her everyday life. On weekends and especially during holidays, she is part of a group of young urbexers, all with extraordinary courage and a large number of followers on their Instagram account. Most of them love photography, street culture and street art, and are in favour of designer brands that carry a sense of rebellion such as Anti Social Social Club and Supreme.
To speak colloquially, they are pretty cool. 😎
“I first got introduced to UrbEx by one of my friends. She showed me an Instagram post and asked if I know the building in the photo," Nancy says, "the photo was taken from the rooftop, overlooking the city of Pudong New District. I looked at the photo and was completely shocked. I was born in Shanghai and have stayed there until 13 years old, yet I have no idea where that building is, nor have I ever realised how beautiful this city is. As a person who grew up there, I need to find out where this building is located, and to discover more breath-taking places.”
What she did not foresee is devotion of her whole holiday to UrbEx and rooftops. Every now and then, she will walk around the city and seek for nicely-located buildings. “I was really scared the first time, scared of falling, scared of being caught, scared of getting injured; but at the same time I could not move my eyes away from the spectacular view up there.” Nancy explains to me this inner dilemma that every UrbExer constantly faces: neither do they want to miss the chance, the view, nor do they want to put themselves into a potential risk of life. For most UrbEx lovers, the former always wins the latter.
Free-Soloer
“It was a gloomy day, the scaffold was particularly humid and slippery. While I was trying to climb down after finished taking photos, I realised I couldn't reach the lower scaffold.” With no gloves, 5kg of camera kit on the back, freezing on top of the illegally scaled Shangri-La hotel in the dead of a -3C night. “I sank into panic for more than 5 minutes. Any wrong move, a slip and you're gone! When I eventually landed safely, I thought I would never go rooftopping anymore.”
In February this year, Swaggy encountered his very first near-death experience. But not long after, the urge of UrbExing got back to him again. Every UrbExer has faced different degrees of danger during the process, aside from carrying the selfie stick, phone, GoPro, camera and tripod, they conquered the building with barehands - typical free solo-er.
Like a Spy
The opportunity of “sitting on the roof for a while” does not come easy. The most critical problem is how to deal with the security system of these skyscrapers. In order to sneak into a perfect construction, UrbExers needs to master skills such as jumping fences, dodging surveillance cameras and motion or infrared sensors, sprinting from patrolling security guards, escaping before police close in.
“To climb a rooftop is like completing a mission as a secret agent.” Swaggy made a ‘swaggy' simile. When I tried to ask for more details, he was reticent enough to not expose any further description. It is understandable: once these special tricks spread out to the public, it won’t be long till the securities learn of them and employ preventative measures.
Live a Double Life
Similar to Nancy, Healy is another one of the small quantity of female UrbExers. She calls herself a “gentle” UrbExer. She will only go to rooftops that are not locked up, thinking it is “unnecessary to forcibly break through the door”.
“My mom has always been trying to convince me to quit rooftopping,” Healy says, “she thinks it is irresponsible for me to do so, irresponsible for my own life and their feelings.” This is why during her one year of Urbexing, she sticks to the rule of “practice within a safe range”.
In Chongqing, the security system of office buildings has become much more strict than few years ago due to the increasing amount of Urbexers. To find a safe route to the rooftop is like solving a maze, requires great courage, caution and patience. Security guards will often randomly check the rooftop. When they come, Healy and her friends will try to find somewhere hidden to cover themselves, and they can usually get away with it.
"How do you know security guards are coming?" I asked.
"Well, if you have climbed more than enough buildings, you will automatically sense their approach." Healy laughs, "But if we did get caught, we will apologise and admit our mistakes. As long as you don't give them some sort of attitude, usually it will be fine."
In week days, Healy has another identity as an employee of a foreign enterprise. "Many of my Urbex friends live a double life," Healy says, "we work during the day like all other office workers. But when it's weekend, we will turn into these black shadows at night, running from one building to another."
The New Year's Eve
Image from @milkshake.zzz on Instagram
@milkshake.zzz at ONE Lujiazui, Shanghai
“I want to share these amazing views, these different angles of a city to everyone else, because I personally felt very thrilled, like opening up a brand new world. So I want to share this mind-changing moment.”
Image from @milkshake.zzz on Instagram
Every now and then, Swaggy will take subway to city central from university for some fun. He loves street soccer, skateboard, rap and trap, and is willing to try out all different kinds of subculture. But the main reason he leaves for city every week is to sit on the roof and have some time of his own.
During the summer holiday in 2016, he got in touch with the “pioneers” of UrbExing in Guangzhou through Instagram. After returning to Shanghai, he started to discover rooftopping by himself. Every time as the daylight fades away and the luminous skyline of Shanghai appears, an enormous sense of satisfaction and joy is felt. “When I am alone at the rooftop, I feel detached from the hustle and bustle of the mundane-ordinary, a frozen instant of the secular time. It is a moment of inner peace, all my negative thoughts, rebellion and diffidence have been vented through rooftopping.”
Image from @aka_swaggy on Instagram
Nancy, on the other hand, gave me a succinct answer: improvise, be tactical, and wait for the right time.
“Sometimes the way to the rooftop is behind the door of the building’s office,” she says, “so you need to either somehow persuade the receptionist or slip in when he’s not paying attention.”
In one recent ascent, she had to dress up formally in order to get through a fancy restaurant. In the picture, posted on her Instagram account, Nancy dangles on the edge wearing long suede dress and heels, with the ocean 30 storeys below.
Image from @milkshake.zzz on Instagram
Healy loves Urbexing because of her passion for photography and her aim to project the world from a different perspective.
“Many people connected with this subculture just to play cool, to seek the adrenaline rush. Those are very childish behaviours. For those who truly love and enjoy Urbexing, their purpose is to document the city through a better angle.”
Image from @healyzhang on Instagram