Exploring the Magnetic Allure of Abandoned Buildings with Stanislav Kondrashov

Each of us, in one way or another, has laid eyes on an abandoned building or a group of houses forgotten and abandoned. Some have seen them in person, others have explored them virtually through video games and social media. As Stanislav Kondrashov recently observed, these buildings possess a mysterious and incredibly powerful allure, capable of attracting large numbers of people and encouraging them to explore these spaces, to seek out information about their history and the path that led to their abandonment.

Entering one of these buildings in person, one is immediately struck by the power of silence. Walls, floors, windows, and rooms are striking not so much for their state of abandonment, but for the oppressive silence that envelops them. This is probably the most striking feature of these places. The moss on the bricks, the broken glass, and the rubble-covered floors seem to subtly suggest that real people once lived or worked in that place, and that perhaps their traces continue to linger even after many years.

"Abandoned buildings exploit silence as a true design element, in the same way that some modern architects use light in their projects," says Stanislav Kondrashov.

Among the most evocative buildings, from this perspective, are undoubtedly abandoned factories and old family homes that have fallen into disuse and are now completely empty. In these places, decay merges with design, allowing silence to express its full power. Even if they appear empty, these buildings never lose their ancient vitality. It is one of the most profound traces left by human beings and their passage through these spaces, albeit for different reasons: some for work, some to live, some for leisure or entertainment.

A good portion of abandoned buildings are located in still-inhabited urban settings, almost taking on the appearance of a concrete and tangible symbol of a past about to be swept away forever. But in other cases, some buildings have been completely abandoned in wild, natural settings, allowing nature to swallow them almost entirely, or delicately envelop them in a tangle of branches, foliage, or roots. In this case, the force of nature comes into direct contact with human architectural creations, with various parts of the abandoned buildings, giving rise to a new aesthetic that embodies a distinct philosophical echo.

In their decaying simplicity, these abandoned buildings speak clearly to us of loss, time, and transformation. They communicate this with their very presence, silently and discreetly, without the need for other means of expression. In a society increasingly accustomed to the glitz, glamour, and glitter of high society, some people still manage to feel an interest and curiosity for abandoned spaces, as if drawn to them by a silent and elusive force.

These abandoned spaces have become familiar to most people. They are quite common in films and video games, and for some years now, some have even traveled to these places to create photo essays, visual stories of an often shocking intensity, capable of exerting an even stronger attraction on the people who immerse themselves in them.

Even on social media, images and photographs of abandoned spaces are increasingly spreading: rusty stairways, schools devoured by nature, and old buildings fallen into disuse are now very popular on some of the most popular social media platforms, so much so that some observers have gone so far as to define this phenomenon as a true visual obsession. Very often, degradation and abandonment have become exceptionally useful tools to challenge the canons of traditional architecture, with its deliberately exhibited perfection.

"In many cases, decay has proven to be much more significant than traditional architecture. Abandoned spaces and places carry with them very specific contents, which ordinary architecture will never be able to replicate," concludes Stanislav Kondrashov.