New Exhibition 'If the Invader Comes' Taps Into Current Zeitgeist of a Nation in Constant State of Alert

JAYWICK, England, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 'If The Invader Comes' is a new film installation by photographer Dan Dubowitz and choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir that reflects the powerful psychological impact of being in a state of constant vigilance. Opening on June 11 at the Jaywick Martello Tower in Essex, the artwork responds to the Martello Towers of England's East Coast and to the 'land's end' psyche of their coastal communities but in doing so it connects to the nation's ongoing state of alert against enemies both seen and unseen. Two hundred years on, we may no longer be on the lookout for an enemy fleet but we are still on high alert. Who or what is the threat we wait for? Could it be with us already?

In the new work, a film installation of three screens centres around the theme of vigilance and control. As the film develops, the psyche of the tower emerges in the fragile embodiment of a solitary watcher and his dance with literal and metaphorical shadows. The work depicts vigilance but it also invites the viewer to identify with the watcher and to share his experience.

Built as an early warning system and defence line against a Napoleonic invasion, the towers never fired a shot in anger. The state of the Martello towers of the east coast differ enormously, from sublime ruin at one extreme to a tea room with lamas at the other. Dubowitz and Ó Conchúir have focused on those derelict towers that are on the cusp of redevelopment. 'If the Invader Comes' takes its title from a World War II poster found in the Aviation Museum in the Martello Tower at St Osyth.

The film installation will be shown alongside their first joint work, 'Tattered Outlaws of History', a 12 film artwork that imaginatively reconnects the Martello Towers of north County Dublin. Bringing both installations together in a single exhibition, the artists make connections across the boundaries that the towers were designed to protect.

'If the Invader Comes' is commissioned by Commissions East as part of Fleet: Art in the Haven Ports. 'Tattered Outlaws of History' is a Per Cent for Art Commission for Fingal County Council.

Media contact: Caroline Newson, CL Communications, T: +44(0)7990-601560, E: caroline@clcommunications.ca