In his article “The Monuments of Passaic,” Robert Smithson refers to “ruins in reverse” to describe “new constructions that would eventually be built.” According to him a “ruin in reverse” is “the opposite of the romantic ruin because the buildings don’t fall into ruin after they are built but rather rise into ruin before they are built.”
In order to deal with these forgotten urban realities, the proposal focuses on new modes of perceiving, representing, and conceiving architecture through the visual experience of filmmaking. The aim is to specifically analyse abandoned sites and unfinished architectures in an exploratory way. Rome is an emblematic case study. The city is characterised by one of the largest urban areas in Europe and by the wide presence of buildings of which the implementation or renovation has never been completed. Rather than romantically represent vacant buildings, the filmic mapping gives insights that are crucial to influence future strategies.