In The Lost World, photographer Maan Limburg takes you along on an adventure through Japan’s magical and abandoned places. During her travels through the land of the rising sun, Limburg came across many abandoned buildings and houses, also known as Akiya. She became fascinated by these locations and started photographing them quite obsessively. It turns out 13,6 percent of all Japanese houses is abandoned.
For The Lost World, Limburg made a beautiful selection out of the thousands of images she took. The voyeuristic experience is accompanied by an introduction by Liza Dalby (author of the bestseller ‘’Geisha’’ and ‘’Kimono: Fashioning Culture’’), personal notes and an essay explaining the cultural phenomenon Akiya. The result is a dystopian yet intimate book which gives a glimpse into a world without people. The book is big (23x34cm) and because of its deep colors, choice of paper and unusual cover, it is a beautiful gift to give or receive.
Joanna Lumley (from Absolutely Fabulous) said; “Many congratulations on this lovely and melancholy book with its beautiful images of hope and despair.”
‘’In a country that’s known for its structure and order, I discovered chaos.’’ Maan Limburg
From May 2022, The Lost World can also be experienced as an exhibition, where the phenomenon of Akiya will be explored further. The first exhibition will take place in The Ping Pong Club in Utrecht. For more information, check out www.thelostworld.online)
