Foreword by Carl Norac. Photographs by Edouard Janssens
Sea, Sand, and Land is a book by Belgian photographer Edouard Janssens, who is renowned for his innovative projects (the technologically ambitious Stratos-Sphere, the sequence of portraits in 1 to 100 Years, etc.). In it, the artist presents 52 black-and-white photos taken along the North Sea coast of Belgium. These minimalist, poetic images, featuring dunes, changing skies and sharp horizons, make up a unique visual journey.
Far removed from standard postcards, Edouard Janssens’s compositions reveal the discreet beauty of these spaces between land and sea. Each page invites us to contemplate the subtlety of the light and the graphic impact of the landscape. The effect of reducing the image to essentials is not cold at all; on the contrary, it creates a meditative, almost intimate atmosphere.
Sea, Sand, and Land will appeal to anyone with a passion for art, nature and travel. This book is sure to find a place on the shelves of contemporary photography as well as those devoted to coastal walks. Elegantly bound and printed, this book is a treasure trove of artistic discoveries and emotions: an invitation to step outside and explore the Belgian coast with a fresh outlook.
Edouard Janssens is a Belgian photographer. He was born in 1961 and his work sensitively examines the human condition and the mysteries of existence. Skilfully combining analogue and digital techniques, his series – from Windows to the Soul to Stratos-Sphere – offer a poetic yet rigorous exploration of time, solitude and the beauty of the fleeting moment. As a bold and passionate artist, Janssens probes the infinite through experimentation and hazard.
Born in Belgium (1960) to a writer father and an actress mother, Carl Norac has published some dozen books of poetry for various publishers (Editions de la Différence, l’Escampette, Actes Sud), as well as numerous poems and stories for children, translated to date into 47 languages worldwide. He has also written several books directly in English for Macmillan Publishers, London. He was awarded the 2009 Grand Prix de la Société des gens de lettres, in Paris, and his poems about music have been performed at the Châtelet, La Monnaie, the Opéra Comique and the Philharmonie de Paris. Carl Norac was the official writer for Mons, 2015 Cultural Capital of Europe. The French school in Neuville-aux-Bois, in the Loiret region, was named after him in 2017. Norac was appointed Belgium’s Poète National/ Dichter des Vaderlands for 2020-2021.
