Internationally renowned artists Jane and Louise Wilson utilize photography, video, film, and installation to revisit locations and events associated with European history of the last century. Twin sisters who have been working collaboratively since 1989, the Wilsons have explored the Greenham Common missile site, Victor Pasmore Apollo Pavilion, and Orford Ness H-bomb test site in their native England, former secret-police headquarters in what was East Germany, and the aftermath of nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine. Their large-scale photographs and multiscreen video installations frequently juxtapose different perspectives of the same architectural space to suggest disturbing states of mind associated with repressed memories and collective anxieties.
The 2006 series Sealander features bunkers erected by Hitler along the Normandy coast to protect against Allied invasions during World War II. Once symbols of strength and defense, the fortifications have long been abandoned. The Wilsons’ monumental, monochromatic photographs emphasize the alien character of these concrete relics against the rugged coastline; the title of the series refers to this transitional space between the sea and land.
The recent donation of one photograph and the loan of three others from Sealander allow us to share these powerful works with our audiences three-quarters of a century after the bunkers were built.