Abstract

The word ruin originates from the Latin word, ruere, ‘to fall’1 and has its origins
from the notion of fallen or falling stones.2 In this context, the ruin can be
described as the remains of man-made architecture. In experiencing the ruin
within its present state, the meaning and significance of absence can be observed
as a felt sense and trace of lived space within the ruin. The capacity of lens based
media as a phenomenological extension of body experience, communicates
absence through direct observation. The use of film and photographic response as
an experiential inquiry is key to the communication of absence and the
phenomenologically experienced ruin in this research.
My research question is how absence is felt and experienced in the ruin and how
it is communicated through the medium of lens based media. It is conducted
through direct observation of absence, described here as ‘the non-existence, or
lack of3 and a subsequent lens based media response to the ruin of Nettleham
Hall, in its present state. The outcome of the research is a large-scale installation
piece and this accompanying text.