Deserted Houses Swallowed by Sand

n his project Uninhabited, British photographer James Kerwin takes his camera deep into deserted landscapes, ghost towns, and long-abandoned homes. Known for his fascination with forgotten architecture—something he previously explored in his series Decadence—Kerwin continues to document the beauty of decay, a passion he also shares on his YouTube channel.

For this project, the photographer traveled to extraordinary places such as Kolmanskop in Namibia and Al Madam in the United Arab Emirates, two towns that have become striking examples of nature reclaiming what humans left behind. Once thriving, these settlements are now almost completely swallowed by sand. Inside many of the homes, dunes spill through windows and doorways, filling rooms as if the desert itself has moved in to inhabit the space.

Kerwin captures these haunting scenes with a cinematic eye, showing not only the abandonment but also the strange and captivating harmony that emerges when nature takes control. The play of light, texture, and sand turning corners into sculptural forms reveals a unique kind of beauty—quiet, melancholic, and powerful.

Begun in 2019, the Uninhabited series is an ongoing journey. Kerwin plans to continue exploring forgotten settlements and sand-buried structures across different regions until 2025. Through his work, he invites viewers to reflect on the passage of time, the impermanence of human presence, and the unstoppable force of nature.