Review: Modern Ruins by Shaun O'Boyle
Modern Ruins
by Shaun O’Boyle
There’s something alluring about abandoned buildings. As they slowly crumble, paint peeling away and wood rotting with damp and neglect, the old farmhouse or abandoned factory becomes like a ghost, the ruined remains of a vanishing age. It’s great fun to sneak into them and wander the rooms, trespassing into a forgotten past. Communities like urban_decay and abandonedplaces provide a place for people to share their experiences of degenerated architecture. But to me, the photographs just aren’t enough. I want to hear the stories, too. That’s when books like Modern Ruins become so interesting. In addition to Shaun O’Boyle’s photography, several essays discuss the design and function of insane asylums, factories, and other buildings that have fallen to the wayside in our modern world.
Shaun O’Boyle’s photography is quite lovely. Both color and black and white photos are represented. Personally, I prefer the B&W. O’Boyle takes advantage of the limited light to manipulate shadows and that transform cavernous factory floors into Gothic cathedrals celebrating light. The images are haunting, but fascinating. They celebrate 20th century industry and design like Ansel Adams honored the beauty of the natural world.
The five essays included complement the photos very well. The introduction by Geoff Manaugh suggests that our fascination with derelict buildings stems from a need to confirm that our world, no matter how industrialized, is still wild and chaotic at heart. Essays on institutions, steel, coal and arsenal help organize the portfolio of photographs and provide historical context.
Modern Ruins is just a beautiful book. The photographs are very crisp and clear, printed on heavier paper. If you’ve ever taken pleasure in wandering through the crumbling ruins of your local town, taking pictures or telling ghost stories, check this book out.
5 out of 5 stars
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One of Shaun O'Boyle's photographs from the book, of Byberry State Hospital in Philadelphia, PA