The Great Infiltrator
Jeff Chapman’s work authorized others to open doors in their cities
BY Cameron Gordon
Photography by Derek Wuenschirs
New years begin with the standard sets of resolutions, but by mid-January or early February the roads are clogged with brownish snow and one can’t help looking back. In late summer 2005, a true originator was plucked far too early from the streets of Toronto—or, more accurately, plucked from its less-travelled underbelly. Jeff Chapman, known primarily to the outside world as Ninjalicious, succumbed to a long battle with liver disease and cancer on August 23. He was 31.
Chapman was the founder of Infiltration, “the zine about going places you’re not supposed to go.” Previously reviewed in our pages, the zine was a cornerstone of the urban exploration movement, typified by visits to limited-access areas such as the forgotten buildings and hidden tunnels seldom seen by the public at large. Infiltration gained Chapman a legion of admirers across Canada and around the world. Whether from the roof of the Royal York Hotel or the depths of the legendary Lower Bay subway station, Chapman wrote with a childlike reverence for his environment and utmost respect for both the city and its inhabitants.
Urban exploration might seem on the surface to be something akin to trespassing or perhaps your average B&E. Yet for enthusiasts of the pastime, it has far more to do with respect, admiration and often awe for the infrastructure and architecture our cities possess. Urban explorers frown upon any kind of destructive behaviour, such as theft or graffiti. In fact, their primary objective is preservation: “Take only pictures and leave only footprints” is an oath for these individuals, not a cliché.
Chapman was a steadfast supporter of this approach and nurtured his interest in the practice during a stay at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital in the early 1990s (Chapman was already battling the liver afflictions that would continue to plague him for the rest of his years). After wandering the halls of the hospital and engaging in its lesser-known crooks and crevices, Chapman decided to branch out upon his release. Before long, Chapman’s curiosity soon led him to such peculiar environs as the roof of Toronto’s City Hall and the abandoned Molson Brewery on the shores of Lake Ontario.
“Jeff is the reason I love Toronto,” confirms Julie Lyrae, a longtime friend and moderator of the Stillepost.ca message board. “He taught me to look around and see the things we pass by every day and never wonder about or appreciate. I notice security cameras and mysterious doors and ‘authorized personnel only’ areas, remembering the times we authorized each other to enter. Without knowing him, I would never have experienced things I now consider wonderful memories.”
“His writing style was just so detailed and serious but, at the same time, it was so humble and funny, and so engaging,” says Liz Clayton, a partner on many of Chapman’s great adventures and also his wife. “Jeff was doing a lot of daring and investigative stuff, but he never pretended to be a thrill seeker or invincible. There were a lot of times he’d be just as scared as a normal person would be, but he was so in love with what he did, it was worth it to him.”
Clayton says that Chapman’s first zine, the fantastical homespun Yip, was perhaps a better gauge of his true personality and outlook on life. Launched in the early 1990s as an outlet for bizarre humour and damaged drawings, Chapman (under the pen name of Milky Puppy) used Yip as a vehicle to skew convention at every turn. A collection of Yip’s finest moments can be found online at www.yip.org.
But make no mistake, it is Infiltration for which Chapman will most be remembered. The weeks following his death saw the release of Access All Areas, a full-length user’s guide featuring both the wit and wisdom of Ninjalicious and dozens of tips for the modern urban explorer. Chapman prepared the manuscript before his death and it has been published posthumously. The book is a testament to Chapman’s work and his wish to help others appreciate the Toronto he knew.
Chapman’s friends and family are looking to raise awareness of organ donations (more information can be found at www.givelife.ca/index2.cfm). Memories of Ninjalicious, Milky Puppy and Jeff Chapman will also be kept alive through an archive of zines (available through www.infilpress.com), as well as a singular legacy that will not soon be forgotten.
“The thing to remember is that urban exploration wasn’t a finite thing for Jeff,” says Clayton. “It was part of who he was, and a lot of his adventures could be spontaneous, rather than these planned-out expeditions. It was his approach to look at the world with wide-open eyes and see the things most people don’t see. That’s what was amazing about him.”
