„To observe the Sea is to observe Life.“ (Marguerite Duras, 1914 - 1996)

The intention of the series was to unravel the universal phenomenon „Beach“: Beaches and boardwalks as cynosure for flaneurs, bon vivants and idlers, regardless of the identity, the skin color, and the nationality of the people. The pictures show the different ways people are spending their leisure time along the water: directly at the beach, at the pool or on the nearby beach promenade. The photographs cover a period of more than 30 years and encompass seaside resorts of the East and West Coast of the Americas to the beach promenades along the Côte d’Azure and the Ligurian Coast.

With my photos, I try to create and capture an atmosphere of endless summer. The sea serves as backdrop for the self-presentation and as one of the few places where freedom can be indulged in and seems attainable. Pleasure and pure zest for life are the focus. It is the lightness of being that reflects in all of the pictures. The protagonists in the photographs – whether promenading, relaxing, gazing at the sea or showing off – are lively present and share with us their unique 'life is a beach'-feeling.