O C E Λ N - by Jan Kriwol

“The project was carried out in Hossegor and Biaritz in France. We aimed for a Blade Runner-like atmosphere, for the hero to be engulfed in an infinite, mysterious desolation and silence, only to be disturbed by the sound of the ocean.
Surfing is not all about riding the waves, it’s about finding the right ones. A constant pursuit of this perfect wave that every surfer dreams of. It’s one of the hardest sports out there, but most importantly, it’s a state of mind, a lifestyle. It changes the way one sees the world.
We wanted to create a mystical, slightly unnatural world of suspence by contrasting all that with crude concrete and architectural elements.
We were lucky when it came to weather. We spent 10 days in France and majority of them were sunny, which is quite rare in October. We set our locations prior to the departure as we already knew most of them, although we never stopped looking for new interesting places. We wanted to maintain the contrast and connection of the wilderness of the ocean and the world of architecture. Surf culture presented in a futuristic setting.

Jan Kriwol's portfolio

The photos were taken in various conditions. We have shots from the tripod in studio-like settings, as well as ones taken from right above the water surface. To be honest, we’ve been through it all – we climbed nearly vertical walls, we swam with an action-cam, we flew a drone over the waves. We visited few wonderful cities and sights, that we will surely come back to. We are quite sure that the Spanish coast and the city of Zarautz will become our next destination for photos or surfing. We drove to France by car, so one-way journey took about 27 hours. The four of us took turns driving and there was neither time nor need for an overnight stop 🙂 We drove over 5500 km.
Was it worth it? It was. Sitting on a beach, seeing the sun rise over pink-tinted, vapor covered ocean – that’s something you won’t ever forget.
This project was an amazing adventure. On the occasion of our photoshoot, we were invited to the world’s largest surfing competition with one of the stops in Hossegor, France – WSL Quiiksilver ProFrance 2017. We had an opportunity to see the best surfers in action on some of the best waves imaginable. The conditions were perfect and so were our views. It was an unforgettable experience”

  • Art Direction Lange & Lange, Jan Kriwol