2003, halogen lamps, pre-existing architecture
Checkpoint, 2003
Checkpoint is a site-specific intervention located on the edge of perception: its brilliance is dependent on the position of the viewer and weather conditions. The lights generate a soft glowing line from a distance, where the photons are diffused by humidity and precipitation in the atmosphere. When one passes through Checkpoint it is blinding. The surrounding area is illuminated by the lights, which create an alteration in the perception of this space. The installation was located at the entrance to a de-commissioned military compound, within two small observation windows, where guards once monitored passing vehicles.
Checkpoint,
2003
Some people noticed the band of light
on approach, others only after they had passed through the blip of its
blinding glare. People driving cars were taken by surprise when passing
through the stereo beam. Has a police officer pulled me over? Is a car
flashing me with its high-beams? Am I being abducted by a UFO?
Checkpoint, 2003, glare and apparition details
There is also the unexplained
appearance of a luminous figure in the right hand window in the documentation
photos. I later found that there are some strange stories about paranormal
occurrences around this site. I even heard some strange voices coming
from the basement one afternoon while installing the lights.
Checkpoint, 2003, rain detail