Ruin

[ˈru·ɪn]

Related terms: Disruption, Encounter, Fractured, Heimat (German), Open System, Solastalgia, Unheimlich (German), Waste Lands

Generally, a ruin describes something in a state of disrepair – a collapsing structure or system. By rendering time visible, a ruin can indicate a catastrophic disruption, a present that has passed or a future that has never come. Its decay stands in reference to its former condition of being whole or intact. However, some disasters are not immediately visible, and some definitions of what we consider whole change. The once progressive monocultures come to represent ruined ecosystems and economies. As it turns out, we already inhabit these ruins.