Sunken Memories

2019 -

2018時我前往丹麥靠近德國邊界的海岸 Søndervig和Blåvand，拍攝二戰時期希特勒下令所築起的大西洋壁壘。如今僅殘存局部的碉堡。當時丹麥人迫於生計無奈，在德軍的指揮下以系統化的方式，快速而大量地建造碉堡。然而位於丹麥的碉堡，並沒有在戰爭中實際被使用。

這些碉堡因為海岸侵蝕，逐漸下沉被沙掩埋，或是被荒草埋沒、碎裂成塊，有的被鮮豔的塗鴉噴漆覆蓋。曾經捲入戰事的歷史已逐漸被遺忘，這裡成為許多德國人度假觀光的景點。在海邊拍攝時，可聽見丹麥和德國的小孩在這些傾倒的碉堡上玩耍嬉戲的聲音，對比戰時海岸的禁令，今日巨型的塊狀水泥成為孩童的遊樂場所。

在冬日起霧的海灘上，這群神秘而巨大的水泥掩體，既像是來自荒涼的過去也像是來自未來的景象；警世的預言終將衰敗的一切文明和帝國野心。

In 2018, I traveled to the Danish coastal towns, Søndervig and Blåvand, near the country’s border with Germany to photograph the Atlantic Wall constructed under Hitler’s order during WWII. Back then, for livelihood and survival, the Danish people had no choice but to follow the command of the Germany army to employ a systematized method and rapidly build an extensive number of bunkers. However, those within the border of Denmark were not really put to use in the war.

Due to coastal erosion, these bunkers have gradually sunken and were covered by sand. Today, the history of the country’s involvement in the war has been forgotten, and the coast has become a popular vacation destination for German tourists. On the beach, one can hear Danish and German children playing. Contrasting to the coastal ban during the wartime, these enormous bunkers have transformed into children’s playground now.

On the fog-shrouded beach in winter, these mysterious, monumental cement bunkers hint at the desolate past as well as beckon at an unknown future, cautioning the world about the downfall of ambitious civilization and imperial dream.