In the grand ballroom of one of Auckland’s best preserved historic houses, haunting images of long abandoned, dilapidated homes both pose ironic contrasts and find resonant echoes in a place that was itself saved from dereliction and like everything, continues to be subject to the ravages of time.

Curated for the Auckland Festival of Photography this exhibition features the work of three photographers– Harley Plowman (aka Derelict NZ), Kelly Stacey (aka Forgotten NZ) and Robert Štrup – working within an international practice of 'Urban Exploration'.

Their pictures, often raw, spontaneous impressions snatched in unsafe environments, are intimately connected the character of these forgotten sites. Recording the traces left by their original inhabitants they seek both document and to present the beauty of contemporary ruins in an aesthetic 'art of the falling apart'.

In an intricate dialogue with the setting at Alberton, The Art of Falling Apart prompts thought on memory and commemoration – on what is cherished, preserved and saved; versus what is left behind and discarded.

On Sunday 5 June the photographers will present a public talk in the form of a slideshow tracing some of their adventures capturing forgotten locations around the country. Free entry. No booking required.