Curated Decay: Heritage beyond Saving

A bold new approach to heritage conservation that embraces change and accommodates decay

Transporting readers from derelict homesteads to Cold War test sites, Curated Decay presents an unparalleled provocation to conventional thinking on the conservation of cultural heritage. Caitlin DeSilvey proposes rethinking the care of certain vulnerable sites in terms of ecology and entropy, explaining how we must adopt an ethical stance that allows us to collaborate with—rather than defend against—natural processes.

Curated Decay offers a sophisticated and novel account of sites that challenge the current paradigm of conservation. It also proposes a wealth of concepts by which the curation of such sites may be rethought in terms of ecological culture. The writing is fresh, direct and exciting and carries the reader along effortlessly.

— Amanda Boetzkes, University of Guelph