It’s funny. I was hesitant to bring up this fascinating topic at first, because I didn’t think those uptight authority figures would understand. But then Guardian UK covered it, so…
We walk by them and rarely notice that there’s a whole other world right near us that just howls for us to explore it. The behind-the-scenes world sometimes is even more fascinating than the world up front. Probably because it’s doesn’t wear the nice facade that makes it respectable to its observers. It doesn’t care that it’s just a little bit dirty, or maybe even crumbled beyond recognition. It has a life that continues even after it’s long forgotten. It’s memories bundled up like a crumbled piece of paper that’s dated 1905. Is that even right? It’s history that you can touch. It whispers the secrets of its days, daring you to see much difference between that day and yours. Perhaps someone who looks just like you crumbled up that piece of history and tossed it aside like yesterday’s garbage. Not knowing that yesterday’s garbage is today’s treasure.
I found this pretty interesting sight through Twitter called Place Hacking, that is part of the PhD work of one Bradley L. Garrett. It’s about urban exploration, which is a modern extension of archaeology that seeks to know the immediate world around us in terms of its historical value. We probably don’t think much about the archaeological significance of tunnel systems that exist in cities around the world. But they are indeed part of our cultural growth that turned a town into a city. They tell the stories of the people who built them, worked in them, and even maintained them. Not everything in this world can be presented in a glorified form to the lenses of who we are. But everything in this world has an interesting story to not only tell, but to conserve. Here’s one guy who wants to do just that. Hacking in this context allows us to get to know what makes our immediate vicinity tick. Look all around and see how you can interact with your world to help preserve its history. There’s history everywhere.
Hmmm, what is that place? Maybe it’s time to find some like-minds and go explore the world behind the world. Just be careful. Some of those corners seem a little sharp, since it wasn’t built for fun or the public. And pick places that won’t cause a security risk for yourself or the place. Eyes are watching everywhere.
