Prada Marfa in 2010
Jeff Davis County, Texas
Artists: Elmgreen & Dragset
Photo by robzand on flickr, licensed CC-BY-SA-2.0.
This piece has been one of my favorites for a very long time. The original intent was for Prada Marfa to fade into the desert over time. However, there is discussion to be had: are humans part of nature? Are we part of decay? The structure has been vandalized and subsequently repaired multiple times. Does that defeat the purpose of the intention? Is it the artist's belief that we are separate from nature, that our interference is somehow different and tainted?
“The idea was from the beginning to let Prada Marfa age and disintegrate ‘gracefully’ over the years, becoming weathered by sun, dust devils and other natural conditions,” Elmgreen wrote. “But we never had it in mind to accept it to be maliciously damaged by purpose. It might just be some silly teenagers who are bored and who want to make their mark, but the repeating attacks on the work are rather disrespectful, we think.” (src)
Removing the installation because you're upset, arguably, about your intentions being followed, is silly. No one is going to protect a piece of art that's meant to decay.
