Smokestack Nostalgia or Hypermodern Spirituality: Urban Exploration in Abandoned Factories

Abstract

<p>Urban exploration is the hobby of those who want to reach the fringes of society and the abandoned and rusting traces of the past. Photography in these forgotten places is as much part of the experience in urban exploration as the actual entering of abandoned buildings. We focus especially on abandoned industrial buildings and how they are represented online. This article attempts to understand the meanings and emotions behind urban exploration and the resulting photography. We argue that urban exploration can be understood as a type of journeying and that such experiences have spiritual and existential aspects. Photography enhances this emotional and spiritual connection with the abandoned sites and is a way of enhancing the experience. Social media enables the sharing of those experiences online.<br></p>