I love the sea and I like that nearly everyone loves to look at it just for its wild beauty. I could watch waves for hours without getting bored. But having a closer look to waterfronts can be quite disappointing. A virgin, unspoiled seaside is a rare good nowadays, especially in densely populated areas. Former pristine coastline has been replaced by concrete embankments, promenades and other shoreline stabilizations and making the beaches and the sea accessible to everyone. The ocean suffers from pollution, climate change and overfishing, but is still considered pure and intact.
Through my series „Beyond the sea“ which I photographed along the coasts of California and Portugal in 2015 and 2016 I would like to show how this cemented romantic ideology of the sea clashes with brutal reality of man-made coastal landscapes.
Don’t get me wrong: I still consider these found situation strangely beautiful, in an abstract, formal way. I like it when things have flaws. That’s what makes it interesting for photography – and gives food for thought at best.
