In a recent series titled Time Suspended, James Kerwin explores the elegant yet fading facades and interiors of grand Caribbean architecture. A four-week journey through Havana, Cienfuegos, and other locations offered the British photographer time to slow down, become acquainted with his surroundings, and revisit some areas to capture them in different light.
Based in Istanbul, a city also renowned for its architecture, Kerwin channels a fascination for history and the built environment, especially the way time makes an indelible mark on structures left exposed to the elements.
Kerwin focuses predominantly on abandoned buildings, historic interiors, and “spaces that tell stories through wear, texture, and the way light moves across them,” he says. “My aim is to preserve the atmosphere of these places before they change, are restored, or disappear entirely.”
Time Suspended emphasizes Cuba’s unique architectural landscape, with buildings balanced in a state between preservation and decay. “Each image reflects both the resilience of the structures and the passing of the eras they’ve witnessed,” Kerwin says. He plans to return to Cuba in February of the next few years, where he will co-lead photography tours.
Take a look behind the making of some of these images on YouTube, and find more on the photographer’s website and Instagram. You might also enjoy turning back the clock a few decades with Andrew Moore’s photographs that capture Cuba at the turn of the 21st century.
