Articles on Ruin porn

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Jens Lindner/Unsplash

May 7, 2019

Don’t write off abandoned buildings – they can be an important resource for the community

Stephanie Anderson, University of Glasgow and Kathy Hamilton, University of Strathclyde

One in 10 shops in the UK lies empty. These buildings could be put to good “meanwhile” use to benefit and sustain communities.

The Sirius building in 2014: only 12 or so residents are now left and they will soon be moved on. Jenny Noyes/New Zulu

August 2, 2016

In praise of the Sirius building, a ruined remnant of idealistic times

Oliver Watts, University of Sydney

Sydney’s Sirius building - a brutalist classic, providing public housing with waterfront views - will soon be gone. Its loss speaks volumes about our contemporary values and architecture’s shift away from utopianism.

Decaying buildings signify the inevitable process of history, to which we, too, will eventually succumb. Freaktography

August 18, 2015

Debbie does decay: what ‘ruin porn’ tells us about ruins – and porn

Siobhan Lyons, Macquarie University

Porn. Few words come with as many pre-loaded connotations and assumptions. So what are we to make of the rise of “ruin porn”? Should photos of urban decay brighten or darken our day?

Top contributors

Oliver Watts
Honorary associate, Sydney College of Arts, University of Sydney
Siobhan Lyons
Scholar in Media and Cultural Studies, Macquarie University
Kathy Hamilton
Reader in Marketing, University of Strathclyde
Stephanie Anderson
Lecturer in Marketing, University of Glasgow