I’ve been wishing to meet Antwerp and its docks for a while. I felt a bit nervous though, afraid by its hugeness, to be lost in its immensity, or not to be allowed to get close enough.
To be frank, I’m attracted to ports, but I do not know exactly why yet. I am working on it, thinking and walking around with no other aims that letting my camera taking pictures with me.
Ports mean travel, new worlds, other habits, other languages, new people. It’s probably part of the equation. But I would say only a small part of it. Yes, I would like to embark on a super tanker and cross the Atlantic, or cross slowly Europe on a barge. Of course…
But there is something related to ports themselves in my quest. I love the place for itself : the immensity, sounds, smells, bright colors, lines and shapes. The urbanscape is still raw and functional : almost everything has been built for production, storage or security. Its main purpose is not to be nice. And precisely this aspect talks to me. I like to find arbitrary order and harmony in apparent chaos, I love when aesthetic is born by chance, with the help of rain, light, mist…
As I said, I’m not fully conscious of what I’m looking for in ports. I spent a summer week to make the acquaintance of the port of Antwerp. I found it beautifull and felt great in town. I told him I would be back !
I’ve got other stories to tell about my discovery of Antwerp, so if you wish, we’ll meet again soon… Stay tuned !
Tags instagram : #portofantwerp, #thisisantwerp