A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Smokestack Nostalgia or Hypermodern Spirituality: Urban Exploration in Abandoned Factories
Authors: Matila, Tuuli; Äikäs, Tiina; Herva, Vesa-Pekka; Seitsonen, Oula; Koskinen-Koivisto, Eerika
Publisher: Berghahn
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Anthropological Journal of European Cultures
Article number: 7
Volume: 34
Issue: 2
First page : 118
Last page: 140
ISSN: 0782-2332
eISSN: 1755-2931
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3167/ajec.2025.340208
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/ajec/34/2/ajec340208.xml
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508379478
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
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.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by the Kone Foundation under Grant (202010612).
