The City In Ruins

"The ideas ruins evoke in me are grand. Everything comes to nothing, everything perishes, everything passes, only the world remains, only time endures."

 - Denis Diderot, Salon (1767) 

The scenery of ruins has been present within art, poetry and literature since as early as the 16th Century, but modern day ruins in the form of abandoned buildings have significantly less history and architectural beauty. Urban decay - or the idea of the ruin - appeals to the imagination. It raises questions, triggers memories and emotions, and makes the area more interesting. Despite "urban decay" being somewhat an overused phrase and quite cliché in some respects, it is in fact really fascinating, and something worth giving closer attention.

"The exploration of man-made structures, usually abandoned ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment. Photography and historical interest/ documentation are heavily featured in the hobby and, although it may sometimes involve trespassing onto private property, this is not always the case." - Urbex (urban exploration), according to Wiki.

Real ruins result from some kind of disaster, whether that’s man made or natural. Perhaps this is partially why we are so attracted to ruins - they are so tied up with human misery and failure, that we seem to treat them with a kind of morbid fascination or a melancholy reverence - and they make the perfect terrain for exploration, both in an artistic, and in a physical sense. 

A folly is a term for an artificial ruin, or a building made with no real purpose other than decoration, made to look much older than it is. The word folly means "foolishness or a lack of good sense", and it is no coincidence that follies are known as such. But why would someone choose to place a mock ruin in their garden? According to Charles Jencks, writing in The Language of Postmodern Architecture (1978), "a folly or artificial ruin - constructed on the estate of an eighteenth-century English eccentric to provide him with instructive reminders of former values and glories - we should learn to value and protect our former disasters." 

Ruins are all around us, and they have been a source of inspiration for artists for years. They capture the imagination, providing not only a source of - sometimes - picturesque beauty, but also reminding us both of the past, of failed dreams, and of potential future catastrophes.