Lookout Post Ireland

Lookout Post Project

To maintain its neutrality, the Republic of Ireland positioned eighty-three observation posts along its coast in World War II. With the exception of a few buildings that already existed, the Irish Defence Forces built small, identical shelters specifically designed for this purpose. The posts are referred to as LOP (short for Lookout Post), and each was identified by a serial number from one to eighty-three. Today, fifty-three of the shelters built between 1939 and 1941 still exist. They were selected as projection objects for this light art project due to their uniform and austere architecture. In conjunction with this project, the sites of all eighty-three LOPs were recorded geographically and documented.
The results of the project were published on the website lookoutpost.com.

weblink: www.lookoutpost.com

Documentation

The photographic documentation was deliberately set at dusk in order to create a balance between the perception of the projection and the surroundings. Depending on the direction of the sky, there was always a new ambient light at dusk which influenced the outcome of the documentation.
Only a few minutes at dusk allowed for an optimal interplay of ambient light and projection in order to achieve the desired photographic result.
In most cases, the landscape background was decisive in determining the axis of projection on the building.

Work Images

Equipped with a video projector and portable power generator, 53 of the still existing lokkoutposts were visited in the summer of 2010 and 2011. Some of the buildings are located far away from roads and footpaths to which the equipment was carried. To protect themselves from the weather and wind, a tent was sometimes erected. Materials from the surrounding area were also used to protect against the sometimes very strong wind. The projection subjects were adapted to the building directly from the moment dusk began to fall. The following pictures give an impression of the installations and the work on site.

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