Observation tower Marine Peilstand 4

The Channel Islands were the only part of Britain captured by the Nazis. Forced labour was used to create massive defences, the strongest part of Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall’. MP4 is one of five towers built in Guernsey using reinforced shuttered concrete two metres thick; they were used for range finding & targeting for four 12” bore guns installed inland. MP4 is iconic, its unique design is thought to echo the shape of a submarine. Unfortunately, its disputed ownership leaves it unsecured and exposed to vandalism, as well as general degradation.

My visual tour around and through the tower captures its brutalism, and provides a striking record of this huge structure and its place in the landscape. The high contrast black and white treatment emphasises the form and texture of elements and details of the tower and its construction, as well as the internal graffiti.