Magazine founder and surfer Joran Briand puts it simply: »West is the Best offers an experience of surfing through tale and travel.« For this third edition, they booked a ticket for Mexico, »a country where surfing presents a conquest,« he says. »And yet, underneath its rigorous facade, the Pacific coast divulges ample surprises for those knowledgeable enough to seize them. This is the case for all the creative women and men to whom this edition gives voice.« French designer Joran Briand tells us more about this newly-launched magazine, made with love along the Pacific coast this past winter.

Every two years, the Paris-based Studio Briand & Berthereau looks for creators, artists and entrepreneurs passionate about the ocean and fascinated by surfing. »Whether they’re designers, architects, or stylists, their testimonials serve as sources of inspiration. From Puerto Escondido to Costa Careyes and in passing by Zihuatanejo, they learned resilience in order to create tailor-made lifestyles where work and pleasure are one in the same,« he explains. »Their lives orbit around surfing in just a balance between hedonism and spirituality, and in the heart the Third-Place – and in their image – ecosystems open allowing us to dream together. They share their backgrounds and projects with a single, yet elegant, motto: work with passion, but with your feet in the sand. In Mexico, some utopias have become realities.«

After a first volume focused on California, out in 2013, and a second edition created about France launched in 2016, the publisher Pyramid offered to present West is the Best Mexico. In this third issue, Joran Briand wanted to pay tribute to women, »so rarely visible in this resolutely masculine world.« Going beyond clichés, transcending the expected from La Saladita to Costa Careyes, this new edition displays common visions able to gather a whole lifestyle, »where surfing unveils a spirituality that reconnects us to nature.«

This West is the Best 3 Mexico will be officially launched in Paris on May, 18 and in Biarritz on June 28. 

Photos: ©Joran Briand

Find more infos on West is the Best

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The SAIL IN FESTIVAL embodies the perfect combination between nautical culture and sailing innovation. Created in 2014, the European festival blends the past, present and future of the sailing culture.

Starting on the 7th of March, 2019, the 6th edition of the SAIL IN FESTIVAL will be the occasion to celebrate sailing through a series of 20 screenings made out of stories, adventures and races, as well as 15 conferences with international speakers, 3 art exhibitions and a workshop.

Urtzi Sagarrubay, director of the SAIL IN festival, says: »We’re creating a unique ecosystem able to combine two essential lines; the educational and sociocultural aspect with the festival, and the innovation aspect and economical development with this special day dedicated to professionals (SAIL INN PRO).« 

Many legendary sailors  have shared their stories on the stage of the SAIL IN. Legends like  Sir Robin Knox – Johnston or Loick Peyron, who once said of the SAIL IN: »You feel the whole team’s desire to share their passion with others. It’ something very beautiful, very pure.«

This year is not different. Among the many incredible guests and presenters will be  Jean-Luc Van Den Heede who needs no introduction. Aged 74, recently spent 211 days at sea and became the winner of the Golden Globe race, a solo world tour, without assistance, without stop and without GPS. He will receive the very first price entitled SAIL IN. For this 2019 edition, art remains a central element.

Another of the this years highlights is the photo exhibition by renowned Italian photographer Carlo Borlenghi whose artworks convey the balance between humans, boats and maritime stories.

When we first met the founders at the Blue Factory and heard the story of their festival,  their vision and dreams for the future, we knew we wanted to sail along. It was love at first sight. Now we are proud to announce Panthalassa will be supporting the SAIL IN  as an official collaborator. We will be helping them spread the word through all our channels, and our Plastic Family will be part of the SAIL IN art exhibition  at the BBK space. We warmly invite you to this 4-day event held in Bilbao on the Bay of Biscay, one of the most popular and important maritime cities in Europe. 

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Photographer Tyler Haughey grew up less than a mile from the beach just outside of Asbury Park, in New Jersey. On weekends, he used to spend time at his grandparents’ beach house in Barnegat Light where started a true fascination for coastal towns and regions.

Earlier this year, New York-based photographer released his new photobook entitled Everything is Regional, a print project described as a monograph that examines the built environment of northeastern coastal towns and explores how we use, interact with, and remember places designed and known for summer recreation. 

This new body of works led Tyler to explore memory, leisure and architecture as common threads in this popular summer destination where « US Presidents have summered here, while at the same time the middle class was vacationing a short distance away. » We had a chat with Tyler to learn more about his deep connection to the Jersey Shore and evoke the dichotomy that this wildly popular and often controversial northeast region embodies.

Hi Tyler, can you tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up at the Jersey Shore, less than a mile from the beach just outside of Asbury Park. I’ve always been innately drawn to the vernacular architecture and characteristics of the state, especially along the coast. My dad was a union sign painter and artist in his own right, and I would go on drives and walks on the beach with him as a kid. He’d always be actively looking, pointing out the unique, strange things we would pass or come across, and he would ask me what I liked about this or about that, colors and logos, that kind of thing. That had a big impact on what I would become visually drawn to as I got older and really started thinking about my own interests and perspective.

You’ve been studying in Philadelphia, PA. Tell us more about your studies.

I went to Drexel University in Philadelphia, where I studied Photography and Art History. I was intuitively interested in similar subject matters and ideas as a few of the teachers there, so they were able to read that very early on and make recommendations for whose work I should be looking at and studying, which was super instrumental in my growth as a photographer. Drexel isn’t necessarily known for the arts, but their photography program is seriously top notch and on par with any other art school in the northeast.

How did you get introduced to photography?

I started taking pictures in middle school. My dad had gotten one of those really early point and shoot digital cameras in the late 90s, the ones where you had to carry a battery pack around in your pocket in order to use it, and I used to shoot photos of my friends skateboarding and fooling around. I kept an interest in it throughout high school, while also working with video. I was lucky enough to be able to pursue and study photography on a more serious level in college.

Earlier this year, you released your photobook entitled Everything is Regional. Was it a way to celebrate and pay tribute to your native Jersey Shore?

That was definitely a major reason why I started making much of the work that ended up in the book: documenting the part of the world that I’m most connected with and showing this often misrepresented place with regard and from a local’s point of view is something I’ve always been interested in. Expanding on that idea and bringing it to a larger area (the northeast) for the book, while still keeping New Jersey as its nucleus, was both challenging and important to me.

Where does the title Everything is Regional come from?

Everything Is Regional is the opening line to a poem by Robert Pinsky, a former US Poet Laureate, about his hometown, which is a few miles down the road from mine. The first two stanzas of the poem, “Long Branch, New Jersey”, are:

Everything is regional,

And this is where I was born, dear,

And conceived,

And first moved to tears,

And last irritated to the same point.

It is bounded on three sides by similar places

And on one side by vast, uncouth houses

A glum boardwalk and,

As we say, The Beach.

For the non-american, it’s important to remind that the Jersey Shore used to be a popular summer destination in the 1950s. How would you describe the northeastern coastal area?

It’s actually been a popular summer destination since the late 19th century, when train travel became accessible. With New Jersey specifically, the diversity that arises along its relatively small 130-mile coastline is amazing – from military bases and massive summer homes to untouched wildlife preservations and blue-collar beach towns. US Presidents have summered here, while at the same time the middle class was vacationing a short distance away. This dichotomy still exists today, and that juxtaposition is part of what keeps me exploring and photographing these areas. There’s a place for everybody, no matter which socioeconomic level you’re a part of.

For this new book, you’ve been combining photographs taken since 2010. What do all these photos have in common?

Though taken in different locales throughout the northeast, all of the photographs in the book examine similar themes – memory, leisure, vernacular characteristics and architecture, land-use, history, disillusionment. These are things that I’ve been exploring since I began to take photography seriously, and it was a lot of fun to go back through my work from the last eight years and see how presumably disparate images from different time periods and projects worked together.

As shown in your previous project « Ebb Tide », you seem hugely influenced by the off-season vacancy of a tourist destination. Tell us more about this specific unpopulated emptiness of the winter months that fascinates you…

This stems from growing up near the beach. The post-summer months, when the tourists have left and the area becomes quiet again, are always what you look forward to. There’s something both interesting and eerie about seeing places that were so recently bustling with life just sitting empty. They’re vacant, but still suggest a palpable recent human presence. Choosing to photograph during this time of year stems from a desire to show these places in a way that most people don’t get to see. It also allows me to strip away any distractions that might arise during the summertime.

How would you define your relationship to the ocean and water in general?

The ocean has always been in my life, and some of both my earliest and best memories involve it. If I go any substantial amount of time without seeing it, I find myself unconsciously thinking about it and being drawn to it – this has been especially true while living in New York City for the last five years and while I was at school in Philadelphia. My fiancé is from Rockaway Beach, NY, so we both have a strong connection to the water and are lucky enough to be able to go back to either of our respective hometowns when we need a fix!

What’s next for you Tyler?

I’m beginning to bounce around ideas for my next project – I’m in the research phase at the moment. I’m looking forward to seeing where that leads me and eventually getting back out there to start shooting again soon.

Discover Tyler Haughey’s work on his website.

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“Because, underneath all of this is the real truth we have been avoiding: climate change isn’t an “issue” to add to the list of things to worry about, next to health care and taxes. It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message—spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions—telling us that we need an entirely new economic model and a new way of sharing this planet. Telling us that we need to evolve.” ― Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.

That’s how we should start an interview with Sergio Penzo. The German creative director’s beginnings lay in Haiti and Dominican Republic. Studying business and design in Chile, he’s then been irresistibly caught up by European culture. Fascinated by the sea, Sergio Penzo wanted to create both a whole universe and a collective dedicated to and united by a common passion. »I felt there was a need for a more fluid platform that harnesses creativity and uses the power of storytelling to put a spotlight on our dependence of our fragile oceans and the immense influence it has on us.«

As an aesthetic and creative connection to our oceans, Panthalassa was born with the intention to reflect on our changing world. Today, our journal discusses contemporary culture and our unique relationship with our oceans, bringing together multiple talents, from photographers, filmmakers, writers and graphic designers. « We want to surprise our readers and bring people who are not necessarily receptive to ocean themes through beautiful aesthetics and unexpected stories. » Meet the ship master behind the creative boat.

Tell us more about your background.

I was born in Germany but spent all my childhood in Haiti and Dominican Republic. My family then moved to Chile where I finished school and studied business and design. I guess I have a nomadic spirit. I can’t keep down so I decided to try my luck in Europe. A few months later, I started working for Jung von Matt, one of the world’s biggest creative ad agencies. Influenced by authors like Naomi Klein, back then I believed in the power of brands to change the world for good or worst. So I started my own brand called TWOTHIRDS, a beautiful experiment which would lay out the blue print for what is today Panthalassa.

As a creative director, you’ve been working for prestigious clients and brands. What have been the lessons learnt along the way?

As a creative and strategist, I learnt to work around brands or companies that needed help. The solution was often a new idea, where nothing was defined. By putting together the brightest minds and talented creators, we’ve been able to shape a thought. I found this whole process fascinating and kept asking myself ‘what if we channelled this powerful energy into a good purpose?’ The essence of my work today hasn’t changed much, but the purpose has entirely shifted.

Who or what ignited your passion for the ocean?

Probably the fact of spending my childhood on an island surrounded by water did. Also, when I was 10, my mother started studying marine biology. We would spend afternoons studying together, I would do math while she’d be preparing her exams. 

Give us an insight of what your routine looks like today.

I get to our studio around 8. It’s only a 5-minute walk so I take the longer way alongside our local beach. I like the fact that the sea always looks different, so that already breaks the routine. There’s nothing certain about the sea, and I try to keep this unpredictability in my creative process. I make a break around 1 to get some things to cook at the local market, If you live in San Sebastian, eating pretty much dictates your life! I leave work around 7 and try to get some surf before the sun goes down.

You recently discovered sailing and free-diving. Tell us more about these two new water hobbies.

I just started free-diving two years ago. It was a huge discovery. Some people embark on a transformational journey through meditation or other practices. For me, it was free-diving. It made me confront many fears and embark on a shift of consciousness that is still taking place today. I only started sailing recently. It’s a total new way of experiencing the sea and, to my own surprise, it can be as exciting.

When and why did you decide to create Panthalassa? 

I was still involved with Twothirds but I felt it had shifted from a purpose driven brand. I felt there was a need for a more fluid platform that harnesses creativity and uses the power of storytelling to put a spotlight on our dependence of our fragile oceans and the immense influence it has on us.

The Panthalassa Society is an important element of the creative process. Can you officially present your team of talents? 

The Panthalassa Society is just a fancy word for our community of incredibly talented creators: They’re like-minded individuals who have a a great sensibility and love for the ocean. We have been able to attract some amazing people who give us their time, energy and talent because they feel that when we connect and collaborate we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves. 

Panthalassa is known for its avant-garde approach towards ocean-related stories. Tell us more about your editorial vision.

We keep this journal as a way to remind us the fascinating relationship we have built as a species with the ocean. We want to surprise our readers and bring people who are not necessarily receptive to ocean themes through beautiful aesthetics and unexpected stories.

Throughout your different projects, you tend to depict a certain philosophy of sustainability. Why is it so important to raise awareness of sustainable fishing and cooking today?

During the past few years, we’ve been working close with NGOs like Oceana and the Marine Steward Council supporting their efforts to end overfishing. We will need fish to feed the 9 billion people on this planet, and the only way is to secure healthy oceans and bring back the abundance our seas once had. I believe we can play a critical role by telling stories of sustainability and helping shift the narrative of the seafood industry.

What’s next for Panthalassa?

We are about to open a collaboration space in San Sebastian, a dream I had since starting Panthalassa. But I don’t want to give too much away. You will find out more about it soon.

Short Film: Technogym / C41 Studio

Creative director: Luca Attilio Caizzi

Photos : C41 Magazine

Read the full story on C41 Magazine.

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From May 17 to 21, Pasaia hosted the Maritime Festival for the very first time. As a celebration of traditional wooden boats, the basque seaport welcomed thousands of visitors for a 3-days cultural, gastronomic and musical event.

Due to the weather, strong winds and sea conditions, the Hermione, built in Rochefort, France, has been struggling in a thunderstorm, fighting to turn around Portugal and make its way to Pasaia. As a guest of honour, the 47-metre-high, 65-metre-long replica of the Hermione, the three-masted, 32-gun frigate that carried Lafayette to America in 1780, finally docked at the Gipuzkoa seaport on Sunday, arriving to a hero’s welcome in the Basque village. “It was magnificent to see her coming up the stunning harbour entrance« say some visitors in the crowd, come especially for the occasion. As one of the Basque Country’s most charming towns, the historic medieval town of Pasaia has been home of French poet Victor Hugo in 1843. Described as  fascinating, its colourful houses nested in the overwhelming green cliffs stretch out towards the Atlantic ocean.

A Bourante, A Marosa, Gaztibelza, Os Galos… Dozens of wooden boats made the journey from Marseille, La Rochelle or nearby seaports like Zumaia and Lekeitio. One of the biggest boats, a three-masted barque called Kaskelot caught the crowd’s attention. As one of the largest remaining classic wooden ships in commission, Kaskelot was originally a traditional Baltic Trader built in 1948 by J. Ring-Andersen, one of the world’s most reputable shipyards, for the Royal Greenland Trading Company in Denmark. During the 1960s, Kaskelot worked as a support vessel for fisheries in the Faroe Islands. Since 1981, she’s bee featured in many TV and film productions, including Return to Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, David Copperfield and Shackleton.

As San Sebastian-based ocean and boats lovers, we couldn’t not go. For 3 days, our souls were quenched with maritime spirits. Here’s a recap through 35mm films.

Photos : Elisa Routa

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Currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, award-winning documentary photographer Taylor Weidman’s work focus on the effects of modernization and human rights issues.« Riding in -20°C weather with Mongolia’s reindeer herders, diving with Thailand’s sea gypsies, and photographing Kazakh ice fishermen were all unforgettable experiences. » After spending two months in Central Asia between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Weidman produced a long-term series of pictures for National Geographic about the Aral Sea, considered the world’s fourth-largest freshwater lake decades ago. However, in the 1950s, the lake became the victim of the Soviet Union’s agricultural policies. Water was intentionally diverted causing a massive ecological disaster.

Today, thanks to large-scale restoration efforts, the Aral sea have seen a resurgence of fish. Fish catch in the North Aral Sea has grown six-fold since 2006, bringing commerce back to the inland town of Aralsk, Kazakhstan. « The Korkoral Dam surpassed all expectations, leading to an 11 foot increase in water levels in just seven months. Today, fishermen say 15 different species of fish have returned to the sea. » We wanted to learn more about the situation and the fishermen community photographer Weidman met during his journey.

Currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, what do your surrounding look like?

Chiang Mai is a beautiful, small city in northern Thailand. The city is known as the ‘jewel of the north’ and has a vibrant arts scene and cafe culture. It’s very relaxed and is surrounded by hills, jungles, and waterfalls, which make for fun hikes or motorbike excursions on weekends and holidays.

Working for important medias like The Wall Street Journal, BBC and CNN, what have been your most vivid memory as a photojournalist?

As a photojournalist, I have opportunities to travel and see things that I would never be able to in any other line of work. Riding in -20°C weather with Mongolia’s reindeer herders, diving with Thailand’s sea gypsies, and photographing Kazakh ice fishermen were all unforgettable experiences.

You recently produced a long-term report about the Aral Sea for National Geographic. What did bring you to Kazakhstan?

I spent 2 months in Central Asia between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. I’ve been to Mongolia nearly a dozen times, where the country’s Soviet past and the rise of nearby China make for a fascinating landscape to work in. I’d always wanted to go to Kazakhstan and other countries in Central Asia since they face a similar situation and coverage from these areas is scarce.

In 1957, the Aral Sea produced more than 48,000 tons of fish. However, in the 1950s, water was intentionally diverted causing a rise in salinity and the death of freshwater fish species. What has been the impact on the fishing industry and fishermen community?

The Aral Sea, straddling Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world. But by the 1990s it was a shrunken ruin, thanks to Soviet policies that diverted water for agricultural purposes from the lake’s two river sources. When fish stocks plummeted due to increased salinity, the surrounding fishing villages found themselves hungry and jobless; many residents left in search of better opportunities. For example, in Tastubek, a fishing village on the Aral Sea, so many of the fishermen left that there were only 9 households remaining.

Today, the lake is said to be a tenth of its original size. What does the lake look like today?

You can see from satellite images that the Aral Sea on the Uzbek side is a sliver of its former self. The lake dries more and more each year and the remaining water is too salty for fish to survive. I had the chance to visit the former fishing port of Moynaq in Uzbekistan. Here you can see lines of boats rusting on the former sea bed, although the shores of what remains of the Aral Sea are now around 150km away. When the fish disappeared, everyone engaged in the fishing industry had to search for new jobs. Today, the economy is mostly reliant on seasonal remittance work in Russia.

Despite the disaster, in 2005 a dam was constructed to help Kazakhstan’s North Aral Sea’s fate. Tell us more about this revolutionary project.

Financed by the World Bank, an eight-mile dam was constructed in 2005 on the Kazakh side of the Aral Sea, just south of the Syr Darya River. The Korkoral Dam surpassed all expectations, leading to an 11 foot increase in water levels in just seven months. Today, fishermen say 15 different species of fish have returned to the sea.

Did this project bring optimism and hope to the community?

Absolutely. Many of the former fishermen were able to go back to their jobs and are again earning a good income. Local fishing communities were shrinking, but now are again growing. Tastubek, the fishing village I mentioned that shrunk down to just 9 households, now has 34.

You met a local fisherman named Omirserik Ibragimov. Tell us more about this man, his daily life and fishing habits today…

Omirserik was a fun, brash 25-year-old who lived in a fishing village called Tastubek. He fished each day with his father, Kiderbai. During the winter, the two men would ride out on the ice in Russian jeeps where they would drill holes in the ice and hang nets below the ice, then come back a few days later to collect the fish.

To what extent is the sea the source of life for the community?

Fishing communities like Tastubek continued to exist after the fish died off because they also kept camels. However, it was difficult to make ends meet and many residents left the village. Now that the fish are back, the communities are again growing since fishing provides a solid income for families.

This recent prosperity surprisingly generated negative consequences like illegal fishing. Tell us more about that…

This was one of the most surprising revelations we found. I had assumed that local residents, after experiencing firsthand the vulnerability of the fishing ecosystem, would be motivated to safeguard the fish stocks. Unfortunately, instead we learned that fishermen were trying ignoring long-term harm by chasing short-term profits and it was common for today’s fishermen to use illegal fishing methods – employing nets that are cheap and easily torn/lost and fishing during the breeding season.

As a photojournalist, you’re a witness of the ecological situation. What would be your message for the future generations?

My message would be for this generation to think about the environmental legacy they are leaving for future generations. Over and over, I see unsustainable, yet extremely common practices decimating fish stocks, clear cutting rainforest, polluting the air and water, and abusing the environment in myriad other ways. Environmental regulation, where it exists, is often undercut by corruption. We need to ask ourselves what kind of a world we want our children to grow up in and work together to build that future.

What are your next projects?

Throughout Southeast and Central Asia, China is an increasingly powerful actor, and I think my next project will concentrate on China’s ambitious One Belt One Road plan as it builds infrastructure and exerts influence throughout the region.

 Discover more of Taylor Weidman’s work on his website.

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As a kid, Slovenia-born photographer Ciril Jazbec, dreamt of becoming a photographer for National Geographic. Today, aged 32, his dream came true. A few years ago, he headed up to Greenland and witnessed a way of life disappearing.

Since a young age, growing up in a countryside village in Slovenia, Jazbec has been deeply struck by climate change. « I grew up surrounded by nature, by its authenticity and brutality. I assumed nature’s graphic style – strong contrasts, clean lines, multilevelness. I feel overwhelmed by nature. By the climate changes it has been showing. By our primal feelings, directing us into the closest intimacy possible. »

In his series of pictures entitled « On thin ice », Ciril Jazbec pays tribute to the people whose daily routines are affected by rising temperatures and tides. In this remote village of 250 people in northern Greenland, higher temperatures mean shorter seal hunting seasons. « My first experience of the Arctic and the first chapter of a long-term project concerned with the human face of climate change. In the tiny island town of Uummannaq on Greenland’s west coast, vanishing sea ice is rapidly altering traditional hunting and community life. »

He met Unnartoq Lovstrom, 70, one of the last remaining people sticking to tradition and living as subsistence hunters, described as “the Clint Eastwood of Greenland » by the community. « I don’t speak Unnartoq’s language, so hand gestures and honesty become an even more important factor of communication than usual. For a European, the conditions in Greenland are extreme; low temperatures require one to be exceptionally strong-willed, and the will to live is what has always driven the traditional hunters to survive. However, the daily life of these hunters is changing due to climate change, unpredictable weather, higher temperatures, and the resulting thin ice. »

Throughout a photojournalistic and documentary dimension, Jazbec’s body of work manages to reveal the emotion and real-time situation of their changing landscape. « The sea used to be frozen for eight months a year, but nowadays it only freezes for a few months, threatening the traditional methods of seal hunting. The story also touches upon globalization worming its way into every nook and cranny of the world, as well as upon global interconnectedness driving youth away from tradition and self-sufficiency. » Left in April, the ice was thin in Greenland and hunters began falling through the ice. « In Greenland, young people are moving to the cities, self-sufficient hunters are disappearing and a 1000-year tradition of hunting and survival in the most extreme of conditions is being forgotten. »

On a wooden sled pulled by six to 10 dogs, communicating through body language, line fishing through a hole made on ice, photographer Ciril Jazbec created a powerful relationship with the community and Unnartoq .“It’s difficult as a photographer to get close enough to someone who lets you live with them,” he said to the New York Times. « It’s hard to gain trust; that’s why it’s special to me.”

Discover more of Ciril Jazbec’s work on his website.

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Over a span of four years, writer Ed Thompson and photographer Julien Roubinet—, who met surfing at Rockaway Beach—have, logged more than 4,000 miles driving from Eastern Long Island to Cape May, interviewing and photographing surfers, surfboard shapers, artists and documentarians who contribute to the scene. From local legend and Montauk fisherman Charlie Weimar to Pulitzer-prize-winning author William Finnegan to professional surfers with global followings such as Quincy Davis, Mikey De Temple and Balaram Stack, the New York surf community is a colorful one. Ice Cream Headaches highlights the surfers who experiment with new forms, materials, ideas and surfing styles in the often-frigid Atlantic waves. In support of their coming book, Panthalassa decided to publish a curated selection of Ice-cream Headaches stories.

The first portrait drives us to the trendy hotspot of Flatiron District, an area of Manhattan that features an abundance of Beaux-Arts, and home to several iconic NYC skyscrapers. British author Ed Thompson and French photographer Julien Roubinet met renowned American photographer Michael Halsband, author of the 1985 Boxing Gloves series including the iconic black-and-white photo of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat wearing Everlast shorts and gloves. During four decades, Halsband has photographed some of the most celebrated artists, pop culture icons, surfers, rock and roll legends, writers, and musicians of our time, including James Brown, David Byrne, Johnny Depp, A.M. Homes, Iggy Pop, Louise Nevelson, Klaus Nomi, Nam June Paik, Hunter S. Thompson, Andy Warhol, and many more.

We interrupted Michael eating a bowl of granola at the kitchen table in his huge triangular studio in the Flatiron District. Before we’d even sat down, he began sharing stories about finding his feet surfing the sand bars of Long Island and setting off on what became perhaps one of the longest surf trips in history…

In the late nineties Michael spent almost four years touring the world with Joel Tudor to shoot photographs for their collaborative project Surf Book and the Super-8 footage that would become Surf Movie.

Surf Movie is a captivatingly simple collection of 14 uncut reels of Super-8 footage Michael shot of the greatest surfers of the last 30 years, mostly free riding at their favorite breaks in California, Hawaii and Australia. It’s refreshingly honest. A young Kelly Slater is seen losing his board and swimming hard to catch up as it washes shorewards. Joel Tudor is caught missing a killer wave, though he nails a dozen more.

Surf Book, meanwhile, portrays many heroes of surf culture mostly out of the water. Michael let his each of his subjects choose the date, time, location and clothing they wanted for their shoot, resulting in locations from shaping bays and car parks to bars and backyards. The portraits, shot entirely on film using medium format and 35mm cameras, capture a fifty year spread of the people who influenced surfing technologically and spiritually, from master shapers like Donald Takyama to surf champions like Jerry Lopez and Nat Young.

“As I kept going with Joel, I was learning from the best because they just sit and talk about it all day long and after a while it finally gets into your head. Because needless to say if you’re surfing a board and you don’t have any sense of how it functions, you can’t really understand what’s going wrong. If you have the ability to keep playing with shapes you can say well if I pull it in a little tighter I’ll get this kind of performance, and if I keep it fat I’ll get this kind, and then you can marry the two ideas. When you get one thing you take away another. You’re always sacrificing, you’re never going to find the one board. I’ve surfed this board on beach breaks and point breaks on Long Island but truthfully it never performs perfectly on either wave – it’s just a good all round board as they say. A 7’9″ egg. I should probably have a 7’2″ but then when you’re on a point break you’d have to be so on the inside you’re going to get overtaken all the time because everyone else on a 7’6″. It’s about figuring out how different boards work and then it’s like where’s the sweet spot for just having fun? At a certain point you just lose that, so you have to keep coming back to that idea. The point is go out and have a good time – who gives a shit about all that…”

Photos: Julien Roubinet

Discover Ice-cream Headaches project online and purchase the limited edition book.

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Every day local men and women from Pacasmayo, Peru spread along the shore of the town and wade into the ocean to collect algae, called cochayuyo. It’s been thousands of years people use seaweed in their daily diet in Peru. 

Production and consumption of aquatic plants in the world has been increasing in recent years. The algae are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet and are also used in medicine. Cochayuyo seaweed contains various minerals such as phosphor, calcium, magnesium just to name a few and vitamins. One of the main components of cochayuyo is the protein. It easy to assimilate and contains high levels of essential amino acids, which occur in plant and animal tissues and are very important for human body.  “It’s quite an easy job and I earn enough to support my family. I spend a few hours a day working in the ocean and then I can stay with my kids for the rest of the day,” says Claudio Rojas Pita, who is doing this job together with his brother Luis Rojas Pita for over 15 years. 

Luis uses stone belt to keep him underwater. He prefers using stones instead of weight belt because it’s cheaper and he doesn’t have to worry about loosing it. “If something goes wrong and I need to go to surface, I just cut the belt and leave stones underwater. If I bought a proper weight belt I wouldn’t want to leave it on the bottom and loose money,” he explains.  Meanwhile Marilu Gamba Cardenas and her friends don’t dive at all. They don’t have masks nor snorkels, so they collect seaweed gropingly. It results in lower amounts of cochayuyo, but women work hard to get as much as possible. They cover themselves from the sun with a few layers of clothes and scarfs on the top of old crannied wetsuits. Cochayuyo is species endemic in the south of Pacific Ocean, along the coast of Peru and Chile. It’s the most abundant kind of red algae in Peru. Since pre-Inca times, it’s been widely used in the daily diet, mostly consumed fresh, in the costal and Andean areas.

After three hours of work Claudio, his brother Luis and friend Barny Portilla sit on the beach, relax in the sun and snack on the fresh cochayuyo straight from their loaded bags. “It’s going to be a good lunch today,” Claudio smiles taking a closer look at the octopus he caught while picking the seaweed. “We’ll use it for ceviche,” he adds. Peru is the birthplace of worldwide known ceviche, a dish of marinated raw fish or/and seafood. Fresh cochoyuyuo is often served with ceviche and it comes deep-fried with chicheron de pescado another popular dish of deep-fried fish and/or seafood. It is also used in soups, especially in the traditional fish soup called chilcano, stews, and salad or eaten soaked in vinegar.

Different kinds of seaweed used in food and medicine was also an ancient practice in China, Japan and some African countries. But according to The Cambridge World History of Food, the earliest archeological evidence (dated to circa 2500 B.C.) for the consumption of algae found thus far was discovered along the coast of Peru. Much evidence exists to indicate a marine algae presence here in ancient times. Local people extract seaweed all year around, but things get harder when winter comes. “In the winter, we freeze after a couple of hours in the cold water and there is significantly less cochayuyo because of the lower temperature,” says Marilu. “But I don’t complain, I like to spend time in the water,” she adds smiling.

After working in the ocean Marilu goes to the market, where she sells it to locals. She doesn’t eat a lot of cochayuyo herself. “I prefer to sell it and support my family with the money,” Marilu who has three children, explains. Meanwhile Luis, Claudio and Barny sell their bags of algae to collectors, who later transport it to the capital Lima and other towns. One kilogram of mocacho is sold for 3-4 soles (~1 dollar). In 2-3 hours men and women can collect 5-20 kilograms.

Words & Photos: Berta Tilmantaite

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The most advanced technology, digital crafting and nature combine together in award-winning designer Julia Körner’s creations. 

Taking her inspirations deep in biology and organic tissue, Körner builds beautiful 3D printed garments such as the Kelp Jacket, referring to a specific stage in the life cycle of a plant where spores are produced. « Inspired by the structure and performance of organic kelp topologies, the seaweed consists of a complex and intricate layering system, » Austrian innovator Körner explains. In 2015, The Sporophyte Collection, influenced by natural organisms of the ocean and created in collaboration with manufacturer Stratasys, offered three high-end couture pieces: The Hymenium Jacket, Kelp Jacket inspired by the forms of seaweed, and Kelp Necklace.

Through 3D printed with breathable, rubber-like materials, ready-to-wear fashion, her 2015’s collection explores biomimicry. « The 3-dimensional structure of the ‘Kelp Jacket’ is designed to enhance the performance flexibility of the 3D print in relation to its organic aesthetic. The lace like pattern appears as it naturally grow on the human body.»

Throughout her creations, working at the convergence of architecture, product and fashion design, Körner pushes the limits of creativity. Her creative and technical skills give both shape to alive and organic collections.  She describes her conceptions as «an abstraction of how natural systems operate.« Almost made of flesh and plastic, it seems that nature always come first in Körner’s creations.  

Photography & Art Direction / Ger Ger

Styling / Lizette Pena

Model / Mathilda Tolvanen

Discover more of Julie Körner’s work on her website.

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