Jonathan Andrews' "WWII Bunkers"
British photographer Jonathan Andrews is best known for his large, evocative images of cold, deserted landscapes seemingly untouched by man, but his work that’s attracting the most attention now focuses on just the opposite: what man has built and left behind. Trekking through France, Belgium and the Netherlands, Andrews sought out abandoned WII bunkers and photographed them at night, lit eerily by what look like war-era search or emergency lights. The images are pretty frightening. The bunkers act not only as permanent reminders of war, but the buildings themselves are, on their own, an odd amalgam of architecture of the past and future. On the one hand the bunkers are very purpose-driven, minimal concrete blockades built to withstand bombs and gunfire, but they’re also bulky and functional in the same way as the pyramids, or as the Death Star from STAR WARS. So not only does the architecture of the bunkers inadvertently carry the weight of distinct historical (or imaginary) moments, but when seen in Andrews’ frightening light they act symbols of doom, haunting reminders of past misdeeds that live on.
