"Ruins challenge us to make sense of them, as they frame emptiness and dramatize the evanescence of meaning...we need to make them speak and militate for our theories" Schönle, A. (2006 p. 652) Whilst the fascination with ruins in academia and beyond can be questioned for it's potential for nostalgic views on troubled pasts through the attractive aesthetics of urban decay, or 'ruin porn', there are still important stories, experiences and lessons to be learned from such sites (DeSilvey and Edensor 2013).... |
I'm told that the owners, Trust Arktikugol, send workers here annually to do some 'clearing up', perhaps maintenance on the buildings, or dealing with potential industrial contaminates. Indeed, evidence of regular works is needed to maintain mining claims, so that could be part of the motivation. The proximity to Longyearbyen and Barentsburg could mean that further activity of some kind in this area is likely. Indeed, in the recent past the summer youth camp has used Colesbukta as their camp-base. Rusanov's hut adds a further attraction to the area, dating back to 1912, it now houses a (Russian language) museum in the Russian geologist and explorer's cabon where hikers can take shelter.
DeSilvey, C. & Edensor, T. (2013) 'Reckoning with ruins', Progress in Human Geography, 37(4), pp.465–485.
Schönle, A. (2006) 'Ruins and History: Observations on Russian Approaches to Destruction and Decay', Slavic Review, 65(4), pp.649–669.