What to do with a Million Years

In the 1970s, Jerry Henderson, CEO of Avon cosmetics, built a subterranean house in Las Vegas. This underground dwelling – built to protect Henderson and his wife in the event of a nuclear war – is a far cry from your average bunker, with gilded chandeliers, plush carpets and bubble gum pink interiors. Windows look out on to a ‘garden’ complete with artificial grass, a swimming pool and a mural depicting the great outdoors. Henderson and his wife died in the 1980s, but their remarkable house has remained perfectly preserved and is now owned by a mysterious organisation known as the The Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species. The house is the setting for What To Do With A Million Years – a beautiful but eerie set of photographs by Juno Calypso that reflect on death, life, beauty and the terrifying experience of being alone in a space that seems like the perfect setting for a gruesome horror film.

It receives a Best in Book award in CR’s Photography Annual 2018