What do cracked windows, rusted staircases, and abandoned hospital wards have to do with our mental health today?
Photographer and visual storyteller Mark Favero believes the answer lies not just in history, but in reflection. His book, Decaying Actualities, isn’t just a collection of eerie, empty buildings. It’s a call to see — really see — how we treat people, how we care for ourselves, and what happens when we stop paying attention.
It all started with a walk.
A Walk That Sparked a Project
In 2020, recovering from foot surgery during the early pandemic days, Mark Favero was just trying to get outside again; physically, mentally, and emotionally. He ended up at Northern State Hospital, a defunct psychiatric hospital in Washington State turned public park. The first time, he left the camera at home. He just wanted to explore.
“I grew up around Seattle. I always knew of Northern State, but never really dove into it,” Mark Favero says. “That day, I just wandered. And the silence, the emptiness; it stuck with me.”
That “quiet” wasn’t just environmental. It was emotional. And it led him back again; this time with his camera.
Capturing Decay as a Metaphor
At first glance, Mark’s photos seem to document ruins: cracked walls, peeling paint, vines crawling through shattered windows. But look closer, and you’ll find something deeper.
“What drew me in,” he explains, “was the idea of nature slowly reclaiming these forgotten spaces. It reminded me of what happens to people when we stop caring for them.”
The photos are more than visual. They’re emotional. Metaphorical. And that’s the power behind Decaying Actualities.
Mark Favero connects the physical deterioration of the hospital to the societal neglect of mental health, both past and present. “These buildings are a symbol,” he says. “If we don’t care for people, the way we failed to care for these patients, or even ourselves, we break down. We fade. We disappear.”
A Personal Journey, Too
While the series tackles big topics; institutional neglect, stigma, and community responsibility; it’s also deeply personal.
“I have anxiety. I’ve had to work through some dark patches,” Mark Favero shares. “Putting this book together was a form of therapy. It helped me express what I was feeling in a way that words couldn’t always capture.”
Many viewers of the book have told him the same — that certain images made them feel uncomfortable, unsettled, and reflective. That’s not by accident.
I want people to turn a page and pause. To sit with that discomfort. To ask, Why does this make me feel this way?
Mark Favero
Mark Favero doesn’t want to offer answers. He wants to provoke questions. That’s what makes the book powerful and different.
One Camera, One Lens, and a lot of Feeling
Mark Favero shoots solo, often with just his Nikon and his dog. No production team. No artificial lights. Just him, the buildings, and the emotions they stir up.
“I start every shoot the same way,” he says. “I put on music when I arrive. Just to set the tone. Then I turn it off and let the place speak.”
He takes dozens of photos before he finds “the one” — the angle, the light, the feeling. One standout image in the book captures both the reflection in a broken window and the hallway beyond it. “It reminded me of split identity, of how fractured we can feel. That moment and the technical challenge of getting it right made it one of my favorites.”
Post-processing, for Mark Favero, isn’t about heavy editing. It’s about enhancing emotion. “I’m not trying to make it pretty. I’m trying to make it true.”
A Mission More Than a Book
While Decaying Actualities centers on Northern State Hospital, it’s just the first in a broader series. Mark Favero is already working on two follow-up books: one on military bases, exploring how we treat service members; and one on education, told through abandoned schools.
He’s also developing a separate series focused on cemeteries and what they say about legacy, memory, and forgotten lives.
But no matter the subject, the heart of his work is the same: what happens when we neglect what matters?
Using Art to Spark Change
When asked if he sees himself as an activist, Mark Favero pauses. “I’m a visual storyteller first. But yes, if my work makes people think, feel, or talk differently about mental health or social care, then I’ve done my job.”
He’s open to collaborations, especially with organizations working in mental health advocacy or education. “At some point, it’s bigger than me. I’d love to partner with people who are out there doing the work.”
The Emotional Heartbeat? Reflection.
If you ask Mark Favero to sum up Decaying Actualities in one word, he doesn’t hesitate: “Reflection.”
Everyone sees something different in these images. Maybe it’s a feeling they’ve buried. A memory. A reminder of someone they’ve lost or a version of themselves they’ve moved past. I want people to find their own story inside these photos because it’s there.
Mark Favero
Ready to explore Decaying Actualities?
The book is now available through the Author’s Website.
Browse the images. Sit with them. Reflect.
You might see more than a broken building. You might see a piece of yourself.
