Monumental Failure

Monumental Failure focuses on twentieth century defence bunkers and the problematic socio-historical context they inhabit. In particular it considers the rise and fall of totalitarian systems of government and the legacy they have left on the landscape. The exhibition focuses on Nazi-era bunkers that form part of the ‘Atlantic Wall’ in Denmark and also Russian Imperialist and Soviet-era bunkers in Latvia that were strategic defence points against allied territorial incursion. It consists of images shot using camera film technology from the mid-twentieth century, that have been digitised and digitally projected. In our times these structures are now deteriorating and sinking into the sand, a reminder to would-be dictators of the failure of past expansionism. Within the context of the exhibition they comment on our current situation where the spectre of another war in the region may loom.

The design of these edifices, incorporates elements of Art Deco and points forward towards a Brutalist architectural aesthetic. In particular there is a uniformity in the roll-out of the Nazi-era bunkers as designed by the regime's centralised architectural firm Organisation Todt headed by Fritz Todt. The Atlantic Wall bunkers were created according to a regimented design called ‘Regelbauten’ (‘standard buildings’) with each design given a code number to determine the type of structure. Plans from the original design handbook are projected onto the floor space in the gallery.

After the mysterious death of Todt in 1942 (following a disagreement with the regime) the architect Albert Speer took over Organisation Todt. Writing in his memoirs Inside the Third Reich (1969) he referenced the strange atmospheric events that occurred in the summer of 1938 on the evening of an accord with the Soviet regime. He claimed that despite the accord the regime had secretly decided to proceed with a plan to invade Europe and saw this atmospheric phenomena as symbolic. ^[1]

The unsettling nature of these structures is also considered by architect and cultural theorist Paul Virilio. in his work Bunker Archeology (1975) he notes the imposing nature of these structures and the incongruity of their seaside location.^[2] However, most relevant to this exhibition is the decision taken by the majority of Western European nations to not preserve these relics, but let them sink into the ground. In the context of the artwork, we see a de-monumentalising process in action, with fragmented parts scattered like the remnants of an alien civilisation. To further emphasise this effect the bunkers are photographed to look diminished in the frame.

The western Latvian city of Liepāja was a signal port occupied first by the Imperialist Russians and later by the Soviets. Construction began in the late 19th century by building forts using brick and mortar. By 1908 the decision had been made by the Csarist authorities to abandon the structures as a strategic mistake.^[3] Their initial attempt to demolish them with explosives proved too difficult with the weaponry of the era, leaving exploded fragments scattered across large swathes of the region. In later times the Soviets used the region as a ‘secret city’ with restricted access. During this period new concrete bunkers were built, sometimes amongst the destroyed remnants of the previous fortifications. The incongruity of these ruins is depicted in the exhibition in a different manner to their German counterparts. In this context, the collapse of the old monarchial regime is echoed in the shattered remnants of the Csarist forts with the foreknowledge that this region would again be annexed again into the USSR which would then collapse in 1991.

^[1] Speer, Albert. Memoirs of the Third Reich, transl. it., Mondadori, Milan 1997

^[2] Virilio, Paul. Bunker Archeology. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1994.

^[3] Lieven, Anatol. The Baltic Revolution: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Path to Independence. Yale University Press, 1993.