Epitaph by Brendon Burton
Brendon Burton’s Epitaph unearths the eerie beauty of America's forgotten spaces, capturing the echoes of past lives in desolate landscapes.
Spanning a decade, this haunting series captures the decayed remnants of abandoned farmhouses, churches, and remote landscapes, all of which bear silent witness to the passage of time. Through his lens, Burton reveals the quiet desolation and hidden histories that linger in these spaces, offering viewers a rare glimpse into a world where reality frays and the past lingers, like a fading memory.
Burton’s work traverses the vast expanses of the northern Great Plains to the mist-shrouded rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, presenting a visual narrative that is as expansive as the American landscape itself. His photographs of weathered grain elevators and derelict homes are more than mere documentation; they are a meditation on impermanence and the invisible threads that connect us to those who came before. The absence of people in these images heightens the sense of abandonment, yet their presence is felt in the very fabric of the buildings and the land—echoes of lives once lived, now imprinted on the landscape.
What sets Epitaph apart is Burton's ability to evoke a deep, almost voyeuristic intimacy with these forgotten places. Each photograph invites the viewer to step into a surreal world that exists just beyond the edge of familiarity, where time seems to stand still and the boundaries between past and present blur. Through this exploration, Burton not only illuminates the unseen histories buried in these locations but also invites us to reflect on the transient nature of our own lives and the marks we leave behind.
Photography: Brendon Burton
Text: @zaxarov