Dungeness and the Sound Mirrors

The quick visit to Dungeness was really inspired by wanting a glimpse of Derek Jarman's garden and Prospect Cottage.
The landscape couldn't have been more different from the lush greenery of Romney Marsh. Confronted with a dry, dusty and somewhat barren landscape with small dwellings, storage containers and what appeared to be abandoned boats scattered on and in amongst the stony shingle coastline.









I must admit it's not the kind of landscape I instantly feel comfortable with.
I felt too desolate and cold the power station looming heavy in the background it could have been the edge of the world. 




Just a few miles away was a more extraordinary sight nestled in the middle of a lake land were three huge structures called the sound mirrors. Unseen from the road they take a little while to track down and once they have been traced an uncertain walk around the edge of the lake eventually reveals these breathtaking pieces. It's questionable whether they are art works architecture or design..... The scale weight and material once again fascinated me although they have a slight brutality I thought that they were wonderful. The curves the largest curved wall instantly reminded me of Richard Serra's Tilted Arc and that piece was visible from the moment you walked towards the lake and I didn't notice it despite it's scale. 
Originally designed and built during the second world war to detect sound waves from enemy planes. Unfortunately these magnificent sculptural forms were quickly outdated by the invention of radar. However, they still survive sitting on a small island which is only accessible via a swing bridge used by walking tours that take place. I thought that they would be fantastic to use within Art projects particularly contemporary sound installations. (I'm sure I'm not the first person to think that!)