In Search of Ruins / Decay

ru·in  << ˈro͞oin/ >>
noun 
1. the physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.
synonyms: disintegration, decay, disrepair, dilapidation, ruination; 
antonyms: preservation, reconstruction
verb
1. reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration.
synonyms: destroy, devastate, lay waste, ravage; 
antonyms: repair, rebuild

The evidence and process of decay is commonly used to define a ruin, as per a quick Google web search shown above. Decay is the result of inaction by people -- it is to let nature take its course. 

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Occupying one of the original barracks of the Chinati Foundation grounds is School No. 6. As neglected as the building seems, it was carefully crafted by Ilya Kabakov to replicate an abandoned school house of the Soviet era. Kabakov fabricated a state of decay to establish the building to be understood as a ruin. The installation evokes a sense of nostalgia and contemplates the demise of the Soviet Union culture. 

Upon a recent visit to the Chinati, the permanent installation was closed to restore the faux ruin. Despite the intentional fabrication of an abandoned school house left to degradation, a team of conservators are working furiously to maintain the illusion of decay -- adding UV protective film to the windows to inhibit decay.  Dust had been vacuumed, to be eventually dispersed again throughout the carefully orchestrated ruin. Flags on the outside had already been replaced with a "new" set of tattered red flags. The tour guide said the foundation consulted directly with the artist and was directed to maintain the level of decay at which he first depicted.

My initial reaction was of utter disgust. Kabakov, like many artists, seems to have missed the point of decay -- the process of degradation. The artist in this case claims control of the deterioration, which seems against the nature of decay itself.  It's dishonest, but perhaps this perversity is the artists intent, or not [for the record, I have not read any comments by the artist]. The power of a ruin is in the loss -- of time, matter, and understanding.  Kabakov draws on this and presents a specific moment to be experienced, rather than experiencing the destruction of the memory. In other words, Kabakov resists the ruin of the ruin. Or maybe it's just his ego. 

Ilya Kabakov, School No. 6  [1993]