Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Aesthetic of Decay: Space, Time, and Perception

Fein, Zachery E.

Abstract Details

2011, MARCH, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture.

There is a specific aesthetic that exists amongst architecture in the absence of routine human interaction; it is the aesthetic of decay. This aesthetic develops over time, as buildings cease to function in the way they were originally designed to do so. As this happens, such buildings become leftover, forgotten spaces that go unseen by the bulk of society; they are left to minor, often illicit alternate uses.

This makes the task of explaining the aesthetic rather difficult, and extra attention must be paid to the methodology that best accomplishes that task: photography. Photographs tell the tale of what these spaces are, in the clearest and most straightforward way. An exploration through photography coupled with a secondary level of exploration into how the space came to be, is capable of informing a reactionary exploration into what the space can become.

The goal of such an exploration is to not only understand this, but also to exploit the individual elements of it in order to inform an architectural approach. The aesthetic of decay has developed over time, and alternative uses should do the same; minor issues have drastically affected the decay of the building, and minor interventions will likewise affect the function of the space.

Aarati Kanekar, PhD (Committee Chair)
Michael McInturf, MARCH (Committee Chair)
80 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Fein, Z. E. (2011). The Aesthetic of Decay: Space, Time, and Perception [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1305892741

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Fein, Zachery. The Aesthetic of Decay: Space, Time, and Perception. 2011. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1305892741.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Fein, Zachery. "The Aesthetic of Decay: Space, Time, and Perception." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1305892741

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)