What 'ruin porn' tells us about ruins -- and porn

Ah, porn. Few words come with as many pre-loaded connotations and assumptions -- the promise of titillation, the thrill of taboo, the inherent air of seediness. Think poverty porn. Think food porn. Think good-old fashioned porn-porn. So what are we to make of "ruin porn", the work of photographers and artists who aim to communicate the romantic frisson -- as they see it -- of run-down buildings?

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