There’s something hauntingly beautiful about what’s been left behind.
For photographer and visual storyteller Mark Favero, the abandoned walls of Northern State Hospital are more than crumbling buildings; they’re metaphors for neglected minds, forgotten lives, and the quiet, persistent pull of nature reclaiming what’s been ignored.
His new book, Feel: Northern State Hospital, isn’t just a photo collection. It’s a deeply personal project that weaves history, emotion, and vulnerability into a single visual narrative about mental health, decay, and the small seeds of hope that still grow in the cracks.
A Quiet Place That Spoke Loudly
Mark Favero had known about Northern State Hospital for years; a relic from the early 1900s when asylums were the default solution for those society didn’t understand. But it wasn’t until he visited the site a few years ago, walking its grounds in silence, that inspiration struck.
“It was beautifully quiet,” Mark Favero recalls. “The images just came to me. I didn’t have to force them. Every time I go back, I find something new. It’s a place that keeps giving.”
That first visit led to many more, and slowly, Feel: Northern State Hospital took shape. But it wasn’t just about the buildings. It was about what they represent.
Where Humanity and Nature Collide
As Mark Favero explored the site, vines creeping through broken windows and rust lining old fixtures, he saw more than just decay. He saw a parallel to how mental health is often handled or ignored.
“We used to isolate people in places like this,” he says. “Now we say we’ve changed, but have we really? Mental health still carries a stigma. A lot of people still feel abandoned.”
The metaphor came alive in the camera lens. A vine pushing through a bathroom wall became a symbol: one crack, one drop, one moment of neglect is all it takes for something to begin breaking down. “That first vine? That’s the beginning of decay,” Mark Favero explains. “And it’s also the start of change; if we choose to see it that way.”
A Personal Exploration More Than a Project
Feel: Northern State Hospital isn’t a detached look at old architecture. It’s personal.
“I live with anxiety and PTSD,” Mark Favero says. “This book helped me process it. When I couldn’t articulate what I felt, I could take a photo that captured it.”
Some images in the book are intentionally unsettling; slightly off, messy, or disorienting. “I didn’t want to spell out what people should feel,” he says. “I want them to feel it themselves. Maybe a photo triggers something for you; that’s the point. That’s awareness.”
The minimal text is deliberate. It leaves space for interpretation. It encourages viewers to find their own reflection in the ruins.
Expanding the Vision
Mark Favero didn’t stop with Northern State Hospital. He’s already working on follow-up volumes exploring how we treat veterans, how we fund (or fail) education, and how we remember the dead.
“There’s a thread running through all of it,” he says. “We neglect what we no longer find convenient. But decay doesn’t mean something’s over. Sometimes it means something new can grow.”
He’s shot abandoned schools that show how underfunded education feels; literally. He’s begun exploring cemeteries to understand how we process legacy, memory, and what gets left behind. Each project, in its own way, is about people. About care. About what happens when we stop paying attention.
Finding Light in the Dark
Despite the heavy subject matter, Mark Favero says the work is ultimately hopeful. The final image in Feel: Northern State Hospital is of a single dandelion growing outside the hospital.
“It’s just a weed, right? But it’s also a flower. It’s life. That photo; it’s about renewal.”
Another favorite image shows a reflection in a broken window. You’re not sure what you’re looking at; inside or outside, past or present. “It makes you pause,” he says. “It forces you to ask, where am I in this image?”
And that’s what Mark Favero wants most: for readers to ask themselves where they are in the story.
A Book With a Bigger Mission
While Mark Favero never set out to write a how-to on mental health, the book has organically become a conversation starter.
“I’d love for it to be used in workshops, classrooms, even therapy,” he says. “Not as a tool to fix anyone, but to help people find their voice. To help someone point to a photo and say, ‘This is how I feel today.’”
It’s also for those who may not struggle directly but want to understand. “Sometimes, being more human is just about not being so quick to judge,” he adds. “Maybe next time someone’s struggling, a co-worker, a friend, a stranger, you’ll have a little more compassion.”
From Imposter Syndrome to Confidence
Like many creatives, Mark Favero battled doubt while making the book. “Imposter syndrome was real,” he admits. “But with encouragement from my wife and close friends, I started to believe that maybe, just maybe, I had something worth sharing.”
He now encourages aspiring authors and artists to take their time, to let their ideas grow, and to trust the process. “Give your work the light it needs,” he says. “Let it bloom.”
Want to see the story for yourself?
Feel: Northern State Hospital is available now through Mark’s website.
It’s not just a photo book. It’s a reflection, and maybe even a step toward something better.
