A Visual Journey by Mark Favero
Enter the haunting ruins of Northern State Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, Washington—where abandoned hallways, rusted beds, and shattered windows are more than remnants of a building; they are remnants of lives, of pain, and of time itself.
Mark Favero’s Decaying Actualities is not just a photo series—it is a visual elegy. Through a carefully curated collection of images, Favero resurrects the stories of those long forgotten, held within the cracked walls and sun-dappled decay of one of America’s most mysterious psychiatric institutions.
Each photograph is an invitation. To look closer. To ask harder questions. To feel the weight of silence and the echoes of care once promised—and often failed.
“In these decaying actualities lie stories that need to be told, lessons to be learned, and a call for change.”
Mark Favero, an artist and photographer with a passion for the untold, brings a rare combination of visual skill and human empathy to his work. With Decaying Actualities, he steps into the past—not to romanticize it, but to illuminate it. His work is both reverent and raw, offering space for grief, hope, and healing.
More than an art project, Decaying Actualities is a social and historical commentary, a personal exploration, and an emotional reckoning.
Many who lived within these walls never had the chance to tell their stories. Institutionalized under outdated practices, they were hidden away from society—sometimes for life. This project is a gentle, yet unwavering, act of remembrance. Each image gives dignity back to the invisible.
In today’s world of mental health advocacy, Decaying Actualities dares to ask:
Have we truly progressed, or simply replaced walls with silence?
The project confronts the viewer with unsettling beauty—making us reflect on past failings while challenging us to do better for future generations.
As ivy curls through collapsed doorframes and sunlight filters through broken glass, nature offers a kind of quiet healing. Where human systems have failed, time and the earth begin again—softening what was once sterile, rewilding what was once rigid.
Stories Behind the Pictures
Dive deeper into Mark’s creative journey. Learn about his inspiration and the making of Feel.
Hear what readers say about Feel. See how this book has touched hearts and minds.
Mental Health Advocate
Psychiatrist and Medical Historian
Photographer & Artist
Experience the full narrative behind every image—from Forgotten Wards to Crumbled Memories, from Nature’s Reclamation to Voices in the Dust.
This series is available now in both digital and print formats.
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Book Signing Events Coming Soon
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© Copyrights 2024 Mark Favero. All Rights Reserved
