Urban exploration is an adventure but what the human remains that nature covers up through infinite time. The archeological preservation that comes with urban exploration can be fascinating. Some archeological layerings can be more obvious than others as you can see int he photos below but this layering can be as small as an arrow head tip found in the dirt of a field. However, for my examples I prefer relating to the grandest of layers that stand out in their ruin.
The picture on the left was take in British Columbia and is the ruin of an old railway bridge that was clearly taken apart somewhat but then left to stand for the years to come. The forest grew around it and the tracks below were made into a walking trails in the depths of the forest. This archeological layering tells us about the history of the city and how it was once a trade centre for imports and exporting goods which is interesting to now associate with nature which has no agenda or business associated with it. Human life is layered through this cycling of land that goes from human possession back natures possession. It says something about our history and our current values and needs as a society.
The picture to the right depicts another kind of archeological layering that is less significant in a touristic perspective and more of a normal yet haunting layer of time in this space. This machine is a hay lifting; it's rusted, old, and was left on the outskirts of another abandoned barn. This is a stationary machine which makes it hard to bring along but it brings you to imagine the life that once went on in the space that suddenly disappeared without any warning. As discussed by archaeologists "The primary objective of conservation is to protect cultural heritage from loss and depletion. Conservators accomplish this through both preventive and remedial interventions. In so doing, conservation embraces the technical means by which heritage may be studied, displayed, and made accessible to the public. In this way, the conservation of archaeological sites is like other heritage conservation. Implicit in conservation’s objectives is the basic requirement to remove or mitigate the causes of deterioration" (Archeological Institution of America, 2008). Although this quote speaks on behalf of the organized and stabilized ruin there is something about an untouched or tampered place or object that converts and archaeological aesthetic that can't be replicated by complete preservation. Decay itself is an archeological interest that conveys true natural heritage as recognized by Frank Matero of the AIA who says that each solution affects the way archaeological information is preserved and how the site is experienced and understood, resulting in a push and pull of competing scientific, associative, and aesthetic values (2008).
