Through my research in urban exploration, abandonment and decay, I found an interesting phenomenon, ruin porn. Ruin porn seems to be “the work of photographers and artists who aim to communicate the romantic frisson” of, well, ruin (Lyons, 2017). Haunted and ruined places have become increasingly popular thanks to wide spreading knowledge about the “ruins of Chernobyl, the Holocaust, Detroit's urban decay, and even abandoned amusement parks” (Lyons, 2017). The internet, forums and photo-sharing sites have made it easy for “ruin photographers” to share their images and thoughts. People that find these posts are often intrigued and can “apparently see and feel the mysterious beauty of these places without feeling challenged aesthetically” (RomanyWG, 2010). Many realize the true art of these photographs and “nobody questions or disputes the beauty of the images” (RomanyWG, 2010). This is surprising, as it is often controversial to talk about something that is not “ideal” in our society. Beauty should be the “complete absence of decay,” however, photographers are revealing the “beauty in decay” (RomanyWG, 2010).
The lookout platform, figure 4, in Reservoir Park is a great example of decay, and nature reclaiming manmade objects. Maple samplings are staring to grow in front of the stage, and soon some may grow on top of it. There is certainly enough dirt on the lookout, and a high change for a maple key to fall on there, so a sampling could grow. I would classify this lookout as ruin. It is an old structure that could be taken down and “valued chiefly for spare parts” (Korsmeyer, 2014). Ruins do “not invite repair,” rather they seem to be “encumbrances to progress and are disvalued enough to be torn down” (Korsmeyer, 2014). But, at the same time, this makes ruin unique and captivating. Ruin makes a structure “something of value—including aesthetic value—in its own right” (Korsmeyer, 2014). Ruins “bear the marks of wear, damage, and deterioration,” which demonstrates “age value” (Moore, 2009). The lookout may not be in mint condition, but it is in prime condition to display its ruined beauty. Age value “manifests itself immediately through visual perception and appeals directly to [people’s] emotions” (Moore, 2009). Looking at figure 4 should elicit wonder and curiosity about the past; about what weather the platform has seen; about how many people have walked up and down its steps; about how much wildlife has called it part of their home. Once you start considering how the lookout came to appear this way, it is hard to stop.
Similarly, figure 5 raises many questions. Who cut this tree down? Why? How long has it been there? Was it a home for birds or squirrels? Is it now home to insects and fungi?