Artist's book: a singular guide to contemporary ruins in Burgundy, including more than 150 architectural sites grouped by département. Each site, photographed by the artist, is accompanied by a notice.
“These ruins and abandoned buildings have no use, no function. This means that they are left open to all kinds of possibilities. At a time when every inch of land seems to be organized and used with the utmost efficiency, the existence of these blank spaces is something to be grateful for. But it is important to remember that although some of these ruins will remain standing for some time, others will be renovated, and many of them will be demolished before long. It is important to visit them before they disappear.”
Lara Almarcegui
This publication follows the artist's residences in Burgundy, France, organized by the Frac Bourgogne.
Lara Almarcegui (born 1972 in Zaragoza, Spain) has built up an artistic practice around exploring the material aspects of land and urban space. She has worked in different cities, identifying abandoned, unused, or forgotten sites and examining the contemporary transformation processes brought about by social, political, and economic change. At a time of widespread urban renewal in Europe, Almarcegui has created guides to wastelands in the cities she has worked in, sometimes even instigating their legal protection. Almarcegui has also turned her attention to construction sites, in particular the composite materials used in the construction of new buildings and the cyclical relationship between land and architecture.
