Donovan Wylie

Power and control are recurring themes within Wylie’s practice.

The Maze (2004)

This documents the deconstruction of the notorious prison in Northern Ireland. The work is presented as a collection of three volumes, which begins with images from the centre of the prison and works outwards, as it is slowly demolished and returned to the landscape. Wylie  employs a straight, uniform technical strategy in this work which Wylie’s views are deliberately repetitive, and perpetuate the absence of individuality throughout the prison’s architecture. 

See a sample of the work and essays from the book:
http://www.belfastexposed.org/themedpackages/index.php?id=3&sid=110

British Watchtowers (2007) and  Outposts (2011)

These seem to retain more of the Bechers’ influence, with the aestheticisation of functional military installations. However, histories of earlier conflicts can be traced in both bodies of work. The system of observation posts across the hills of South Armagh in British Watchtowers dates back to Iron Age strategies for power and control. In Outposts, some of the sites of the NATO forward operating bases in Afghanistan date back to earlier conflicts.

 Interview with Paul Seawright

 


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