Watched

Temporary inflatable installation in a WW2 gun battery at the edge of the Thy National Park in Denmark. The piece was is situ for just a few hours on the 1st June 2019 before being relocated to a historic lifeboat station at Hanstholm Lighthouse. Drone footage by Emil Fuglsang Møller

timelapse clip of 'Watched' inflating at the Lifeboat Station, Hanstholm Lighthouse, Denmark. We wanted to see if it was possible to inflate this in a 30mph cross wind. Clearly it is.

‘Watched’ is a series of works that fill the remains of three concrete bunkers - part of the German WWII ‘Atlantic Wall’ fortifications, and transforms them very temporarily into artworks or follies in the landscape - as architectural anomalies.

'Watched' explores the history and purpose of these buildings. Designed to be looked out from and observe the outside. Watched can also refer to the preserved status of these historical artefacts in the landscape. A reminder of the past, they are now looked after and to some extent preserved for future generations. In their temporary guise as landmark follies they demand attention and to be seen on a different level. To watch can be both caring and sinister.

‘Watched #1’ sits within a type 58c machine gun post on the beach at Vigsø. The collection of concrete bunkers were originally built into the sand dunes and protected the land from any invasion from the sea. However, the strong winds from the North Atlantic have shifted the sands and moved the coastline so that most of the bunkers now lie at sea.

‘Watched #2’ transforms a former Observation post with a commanding view of the sea and now part of the preserved collection of bunkers at the Bunker Museum.

‘Watched #3’ is the largest piece and explodes from a derelict heavy gun battery to the west of the town. Here the bunkers are set within the extensive sand dunes at the edge of the Thy National Park.