lighting the tunnel

Went along to the Lost + Found online photo exhibition event at the National Museum. There was a certain antipathy towards science which I find is a great shame and there was a lot of vagueness. However, there were some very interesting points which made me think:
1. What is my attraction to derelict buildings and urban exploring? What is the aesthetics of decay? If there is such a thing or is it, as one of the panel members put it, merely ruin porn?
2. Heritage is a loaded term that only seems to apply to things fashionable (and suitably old maybe). Something I wholeheartedly agree with. I have a soft spot for concrete in moderation. Heritage has a large aspect of conservatism and is subject to fashion.
3. What is it that makes Edinburgh special? I think it is the place (both man made and natural and old and new) that maybe attracts interesting people (an elitist view of a newcomer). But I think on reflection it is the mixture of people helped by the surroundings that make it special. This is a virtuous circle which I guess could get disrupted.
4. Commercialisation of public spaces is a real issue. And I think, tartan tat goes into this category (I don't dislike them, they are quite colourful but lack substance).  I think this is really one of the symptoms of the crisis of capitalism where we as a city struggle to find something that we can produce and sell other than the place itself.

At the end it boils down to the usual - how can we resist commercial pressures and the race to the bottom but find the funding to do things that are socially beneficial?

One very interesting thing that was mentioned is the New Metropolitan oneline magazine which I shall check out...