08. Drain Hacking 1
When I was a child, we used to fantasise about how cool it would be having secret tunnels between our houses. Now as an adult I have realised such tunnels exist beneath our cities, in the form of the Victorian sewer network. Since actively thinking about this I have started to walk the drains at night.
I am the only person that walks under my city, giving me a sense of ownership of the whole tunnel network.
In life, you have a choice. You can stay in bed and take no risks, or you can go out and have a life which involves the taking of risks, telling of yarns, breaking various laws which restrict your freedom, finding out things of an unusual or interesting nature. Now, some people take drugs, some people watch TV, some people drive cars faster than the posted speed limit, some people get heavily into tupperware, some people play golf.
Since I find these things not very interesting, well, maybe the driving, I explore drains. I like the dark, the wet, humid, earthy smell. I like the varying architecture. I like the solitude. I like the acoustics, the wildlife, the things we find, the places we come upon, the feeling knowing so few have seen what you have seen, and that fewer will.
Self Portrait, and my favourite shot of the sewers. 20 Sec Exposure
Triple Chamber, first go at a bit of light painting. 8 Sec.
Thanks to surveyors marks made on the walls 40 years ago, I can accurately tell you this outfall is 710 meters from where I accessed this system.
This evening I have some associates with me, and we emerge to find some fishermen fishing right by the outfall. Let’s just say they were more than a tad surprised to see four grown me emerge meters away from their bobbing floats.
The tunnels are beautiful, and teeming with wildlife. Spiders, bats, and even some pretty hefty carp which swim blindly into your legs.
Travelling against the current is harder than you think the effluent constantly batters your thighs. The floor was mirror smooth from 100 years of water erosion, which was coated in just enough alge to give it the quality of an ice rink. This proved a paranoia nightmare for me holding my DSLR & tripod as high as I could in one hand (not helping my centre of gravity) and torch in the other. If I slipped the whole lot will be going under.
UrbanX (8 Sec)
With the local fishermen disturbed by our surprise appearance, we set about disturbing the dregs of the nightclub revellers staggering down the high street by emerging from a manhole, before stripping off.
I am the only person that walks under my city, giving me a sense of ownership of the whole tunnel network.
In life, you have a choice. You can stay in bed and take no risks, or you can go out and have a life which involves the taking of risks, telling of yarns, breaking various laws which restrict your freedom, finding out things of an unusual or interesting nature. Now, some people take drugs, some people watch TV, some people drive cars faster than the posted speed limit, some people get heavily into tupperware, some people play golf.
Since I find these things not very interesting, well, maybe the driving, I explore drains. I like the dark, the wet, humid, earthy smell. I like the varying architecture. I like the solitude. I like the acoustics, the wildlife, the things we find, the places we come upon, the feeling knowing so few have seen what you have seen, and that fewer will.
Self Portrait, and my favourite shot of the sewers. 20 Sec Exposure
Triple Chamber, first go at a bit of light painting. 8 Sec.
Thanks to surveyors marks made on the walls 40 years ago, I can accurately tell you this outfall is 710 meters from where I accessed this system.
This evening I have some associates with me, and we emerge to find some fishermen fishing right by the outfall. Let’s just say they were more than a tad surprised to see four grown me emerge meters away from their bobbing floats.
The tunnels are beautiful, and teeming with wildlife. Spiders, bats, and even some pretty hefty carp which swim blindly into your legs.
Travelling against the current is harder than you think the effluent constantly batters your thighs. The floor was mirror smooth from 100 years of water erosion, which was coated in just enough alge to give it the quality of an ice rink. This proved a paranoia nightmare for me holding my DSLR & tripod as high as I could in one hand (not helping my centre of gravity) and torch in the other. If I slipped the whole lot will be going under.
UrbanX (8 Sec)
With the local fishermen disturbed by our surprise appearance, we set about disturbing the dregs of the nightclub revellers staggering down the high street by emerging from a manhole, before stripping off.
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