Ruins have inspired meditations on theology, politics, and aesthetics. As architectural remnants of temporal rupture, they exist in suspension between past and future, memory and possibility. In historical and experiential terms, ruins provoke questions about structures of power: who or what is forgotten in the ruin-gazing traditions of the past? What new imaginaries emerge in the speculative or emancipatory narratives of the future? This discussion invites contemporary architects to consider how choices around preservation, transformation, or reclamation shape engagements with space and memory.
Speakers: Francesco Fraccin (2013 American Academy in Rome Italian Fellow), Cory Henry (2025-26 American Academy in Rome Fellow), Sabrina Morreale (2024 American Academy in Rome Enel Foundation Italian Fellow), Alessandro Mulazzani (2023 American Academy in Rome Enel Foundation Italian Fellow).
Moderators: Ilaria Puri Purini (Heiskell Arts Director), Andrew Heiskell (Arts Director at the American Academy in Rome)
