Photographer Marc Wilson’s four year project photographing the decaying remains of Second World War defence structures has resulted in The Last Stand, an intriguing and contemplative exhibition and book.
At the Anise Gallery for the next few days there is a show – and accompanying book – to linger over, combining beautiful photography and fascinating subject-matter. Traveling around the coastlines of Northern Europe, Marc Wilson has captured the physical remains of the Second World War, leaving us with haunting photographs and a stark reminder of the conflict still so recent in our past.
In his images the battered concrete forms that dot coastlines are like the elephant in the room: abandoned at the peripheries of northern Europe, they are proof of what people would sometimes otherwise forget. The pill boxes and other decaying architectural structures appear as part eerie monuments to the fallen, part reclaimed forms, sometimes indistinguishable at first sight from the earth and rocks that surround them.
This small exhibition is well worth making the trip to Shad Thames to see and the smartly produced book does justice to the wonderful images.
The Last StandAnise Gallery, LondonUntil 13 December 2014 anisegallery.co.ukmarcwilson.co.uk
