ENG 344 WK8: Abandoned Locations & Post-Apocalyptic

• The lecture discusses abandoned locations and their connection to post-apocalyptic settings.
• ENG 344, WK8, 02/25/25

Abandoned Locations

• Images of several abandoned locations explore the theme of decay.

Warm-Up Activity

• The warm-up activity involves determining if given images depict real-world abandoned locations or fictional post-apocalyptic settings.
• The activity aims to identify the similarities between real and fictional apocalyptic imagery

Classroom Goals

• The class is shifting from the topic of gender to real-world, post-apocalyptic imagery.
• Key themes include: Alyssa Ryan's essay "Surrounded by Decay" from Apocalyptic Chic, natural disasters, postindustrial decline, and military/political abandonment.
• A key question is whether rebuilding should always be the goal.

Real-World Apocalypses: Natural Disasters

• Natural disasters can rapidly transform landscapes into post-apocalyptic environments.
• An example is Six Flags New Orleans, abandoned after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 due to flooding, which made repairs too expensive, leading to overgrowth and looting.
• There has been an increase in extreme weather events due to climate change, including more hurricanes, wildfires, and rising sea levels.
• FEMA reports a rise in disaster declarations since the 1980s.
• According to Ryan, "The world may not end with one large bang, but rather in a series of smaller events stretching across numerous landscapes."

Real-World Apocalypses: Postindustrial Decline

• The collapse of industry leads to urban decay, creating ghost towns that resemble post-apocalyptic fiction.
• Detroit's Packard and Fisher Plants, once automotive hubs, are now abandoned examples of postindustrial ruins.
• Quote: "These development interests and reconstitution efforts aside, the Fisher and Packard automotive plants linger as a reminder of the heyday of the automotive industry and the post-apocalyptic landscapes that arise when a significant shift in industry sweeps a historically one-industry city".
• Other examples are Gary, Indiana, a steel town that collapsed in the 1970s, and Centralia, PA, where a coal mine fire has burned underground since 1962.
• Detroit's ruins inspired the look of RoboCop while The Last of Us uses overgrown, abandoned cities as inspiration.

Real-World Apocalypses: Military and Political Collapse

• Political instability can result in abandoned military bases and ghost towns.
• Wünsdorf-Waldstadt, Germany, also known as "The Forbidden City," was a former Soviet military base that once housed 75,000 troops but was abandoned in the 1990s after the Cold War.
• Chernobyl (Ukraine) is a post-disaster ghost town evacuated after a nuclear disaster.
• Hashima Island (Japan) is a once-thriving mining town, now an abandoned concrete jungle.
• According to Ryan, military constructions and larger compounds often change ownership due to political/military shifts.

A Framework for Understanding Decay

• Evaluating existing post-apocalyptic sites and identifying parallels to fictional counterparts lets you evaluate the likelihood of predictions and understand a path moving forward. (Ryan)
• Fictional apocalypses mirror real-life societal collapses, and abandoned places serve as warnings.
• Real-world examples include Route 61 in Centralia, PA, abandoned due to an underground coal mine fire, highways in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, now deserted after the 1986 nuclear disaster, and parts of Detroit's Highway System which are in disrepair due to depopulation. -In apocalyptic events, more abandoned highways would be visible like in The Road.

A Framework for Understanding Decay, cont.

• Children of Men, a film portraying a dystopian society where displaced populations live in militarized zones, mirrors the conditions of real refugee camps worldwide.
• The film I Am Legend, depicting a virus-ravaged, empty New York City, parallels the eerie, empty streets experienced in major cities during the early 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns.

Ruin Porn - Monetizing Decay

• "Ruin porn" in photography and film romanticizes ruins (urban explorers, Instagram, photography books).
• Detroit ruins, once used in car ads, are now a backdrop for influencers, and tourists take selfies in the Chernobyl disaster zone.
• Ethical concerns exist surrounding profiting off the decline of real communities and ignoring the human cost and displacement involved.

Real-World Post-Apocalyptic Sites

• Videos to consider include: Six Flags New Orleans, abandoned after Hurricane Katrina, Detroit's Packard and Fisher Plants, and Wünsdorf-Waldstadt.
• Consider the emotions evoked and comparisons to fictional post-apocalyptic worlds.
• Consider how time factors into perceiving abandoned places, determining "worth," and depicting abandoned spaces romantically vs. accurately.

Group Activity

• Analyze how real-world ruins inspire post-apocalyptic films.
• Films/Shows to choose from: The Road (2009), I Am Legend (2007), Children of Men (2006), The Last of Us (2023), and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
• Groups must answer the following:
  • How does this film depict abandoned or ruined spaces?
  • What real-world locations could have inspired these settings?
  • How does depiction of decay align with Ryan's idea that "evaluating existing post-apocalyptic sites...offers a microcosm through which we can evaluate the likelihood of our predictions and gain a better understanding of a path moving forward."?
  • What emotions do these ruined spaces evoke in the film, and how does that compare to how we feel about real-world ruins?

Preparing for The Survivalist (2015)

• Scarcity and Survival: Consider how extreme resource shortages shape the characters' choices and what lengths people go to.
• Morality in an Apocalyptic World: Consider how the film challenges traditional ideas of right and wrong.
• Human Relationships Under Pressure: Consider how people turn on each other when survival is at stake, and what role trust (or lack thereof) plays.
• Violence and Power: Consider how violence is used as a tool for survival and how the film depicts coercion in desperate situations.

Wrap-Up

• Key takeaways: Real-world abandoned spaces mimic post-apocalyptic fiction, and natural disasters, postindustrial decline, and political collapse can contribute to decay.
• The ethics of rebuilding/documenting ruin remain open for debate.
• The final question is: How do these ideas shift your understanding of apocalypse narratives?