Urban Exploration with Bryce Wilson
In 2014 Melbourne-based photographer, filmmaker and photo-journalist Bryce Wilson climbed a 304-metre crane on Melbourne’s 72-storey Prima Pearl construction site. Apart from wanting to test his own limits, Wilson an urban explorer scales cities in the name of his art.
Urban exploration, the exploration of man-made structures without really any safety gear, is what fuels Wilson’s creative tank as he takes photographs in environments and areas people may not generally be able to access every day.
Drawing or painting weren’t the best methods to convey these images, so Wilson turned to photography. “I have never been good at painting or drawing,” he admits, “But I had a desire to capture the world around me – for others and myself.” From there, he says that he bought a camera online, and found a never-ending passion for using it (it went everywhere with him) and was continually inspired by photo-journalists and photographers such as Tim Hetherington, Edward Steichen, and David Guttenfelder.
While taking pictures from the top of some of the world’s tallest buildings would naturally garner a lot of attention, Wilson does it for other humbler reasons. Urban exploration (also known as Urbex) fits seamlessly with his thinking and his photographic pursuits. He doesn’t do it for attention, but rather simply to challenge himself and create extraordinary photos. As he explains it, he’s “at the opposite end of the spectrum” from those who climb buildings for fun – for him, it’s a means of overcoming his troublesome childhood.
“Climbing a crane changed my life,” he says. “My path has been one of mistakes, learning, and growth. I grew up in rural Victoria, in and out of foster homes and a household of domestic violence and substance abuse. Some days I feel I should not be here, but I am thankful for the chance.”
“In many ways, to me, Urban Exploration is about transgression,” says Wilson. “It is about saying, ‘I will not be defined by boundaries and the desires of others.’ I explore my environment at 25 in the same way I explored creeks and hills in the country when I was 10. I want to understand the spaces around me, and I encourage other people to do the same. The world isn’t just a vessel for making money: it’s our home, and we should understand it as much as possible.”
To better understand the world, now in 2016, Wilson has taken part in Red Bull’s Urbex – Enter at Your Own Risk eight-episode program following the thrill-seeking exploits of urban adventurers from around the world. Urbex has a compelling combination of unique POV footage, observational angles and cutting-edge techniques that bring viewers along to scout locations and take first daring steps into the unknown.
In Urbex – Enter at Your Own Risk, Wilson climbs a unique conical tower in Melbourne, where he’s apprehended; scales one of the city’s oldest buildings, a cathedral, for dramatic night time vistas; and makes a daring return to the site of his 2014 crane climb, now a completed residential tower.
He travels the world and chases pinnacles because this is how he can try to make sense of the world around him. “My work is a way of me understanding the world. I have questions and curiosities, and I am able to better understand things through photography and art,” he says explaining that he has also I helped high school students with their projects, taught people about photography, and spoken at a university about his experiences. “I want to share my experiences and knowledge with people, and through that create a community where we value education and learning, and together we can make a positive impact in the world.”
“Being part of this series has changed my life,” he says. “It has given me aspirations and motivation far greater than I would have ever imagined.” Urbex helped him professionally, he explained, as the crew he filmed with inspired him to produce the best work he could when in Ukraine’s east as an embedded combat journalist, that saw his work published by ABC Australia. But the more importantly, perhaps it was memorable for the shared laughs with his friend Erik that he says he will remember forever.
“I hope that my story encourages other people to follow their dreams, and they in turn can encourage their friends and family to do the same.”
Wilson will continue to chase those pinnacles, but the future sees him returning to East Ukraine I to produce a documentary and embed with the Ukrainian military on the front lines again. He says that he might like to teach Arts later in life, but acknowledges that life is a long road. “Who knows where the twists and turns will take me,” he says. “I know more than ever before I want to leave a positive impact on the world, and help people, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Urbex – Enter at Your Own Risk is now available to watch on Red Bull TV.
—
