Journey to the Lofoten Islands

22 February 2017   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
Journey to the Lofoten Islands

The Lofoten Islands are located right to the north of the Arctic Circle. This Norwegian archipelago is laced with fjords, bare beaches, abrupt cliffs and vast plains. The photographer Jérôme Galland travelled there a year ago. He returned with a series of vertical photos conveying the incredible atmosphere of a region that doesn’t open itself up to everyone—a journey published in a wonderful little book, produced by the studio be-poles. It’s the 31st opus in the “Portraits de villes” (City Portraits) collection, available from 2 March.

This new book, titled (pronounced “O”), is a tale of exploration. A tale the evokes the fantastical stories invented by Edgar Allan Poe or Jules Verne. When at the end of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea the Nautilus disappears in a whirling maelstrom, it does so off the coast of the Lofoten Islands. And if some stories begin between the pages of a book, for Jérôme Galland they started early. The photographer was 13 when he travelled to the Lofoten Islands for the first time, leaving him with a profound memory of the place. Since then, he’s been back every ten years.

 

is a photographic journey that subtly transcribes the emotions conjured up by the artist in his photos. The relationship between immaculate views over the landscape or those sketched out by the rorbus—traditional coloured houses used by fisherman—offers a host of visual harmonies. Jérôme Galland’s expedition is perhaps more akin to a pilgrimage. There’s a sort of elevation that emerges from it, an almost mystical purity that’s successfully relayed in the book through its refined layout and elegant cover. The path took the photographer seven days to navigate and winds up in Å, a fishing village at the tip of the archipelago. It faces the ocean. In the distance, the horizon seems infinite. There are no more limits between the earth, the sky and the sea.

From "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland

Cover of "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland
Cover of “A I Lofoten” © Jerome Galland
From "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland
From "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland
From “A I Lofoten” © Jerome Galland
From "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland
From “A I Lofoten” © Jerome Galland
PORTRAITS-DE-VILLES-A-i-LOFOTEN-JEROME-GALLAND-01
From "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland
From “A I Lofoten” © Jerome Galland
From "A I Lofoten" © Jerome Galland
From “A I Lofoten” © Jerome Galland

Images by © Jerome Galland

Explore
Ruinart: creativity and innovations
Ruinart: creativity and innovations
A champagne rooted in artThe Ruinart house of champagne was founded in 1729, during the rise of the Age of Enlightenment. In Europe...
09 October 2019   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
Adobe x Fisheye : visual trends of 2019 (1/5)
Adobe x Fisheye : visual trends of 2019 (1/5)
Fisheye Magazine has focused on two of the four visual trends of 2019, spotted by Adobe Stock: “disruptive expression” and “a return to...
22 March 2019   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
Alexis Vasilikos: "Balancing act"
Alexis Vasilikos: “Balancing act”
"We don’t necessarily need to identify with what we do. I like this freedom more than anything", says Alexis Vasilikos, a greek...
25 January 2019   •  
Written by Anaïs Viand
Fisheye 29 : under the cover
Fisheye 29 : under the cover
The young Charlotte Abramow – only 24 years old – has no limits and keeps succeeding in everything she undertakes: personal projects...
21 March 2018   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
Our latest articles
View all articles
Readers picks #355
Readers picks #355
Alexander Kaller and Stephen Sillifant, our readers picks #355, both escape the frenzy of our world to produce peaceful images – a...
30 August 2021   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
British seaside, round animals and Céline Sciamma: Max Miechowski's Chinese portrait
British seaside, round animals and Céline Sciamma: Max Miechowski’s Chinese portrait
Trained as a musician, British artist Max Miechowski turned to photography after a long trip to Southeast Asia. Portraits...
25 August 2021   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
Instagram selection #312
Instagram selection #312
Through portraits or landscapes, the artists of our Instagram selection #312 never stop experimenting. All of them seek new textures and...
24 August 2021   •  
Written by Joachim Delestrade
The labourer who turned mud into silver
The labourer who turned mud into silver
With Zilverbeek (Silver creek), Lucas Leffler explores the myth of a worker who made his wealth from the mud that lined the bottom of a...
23 August 2021   •  
Written by Finley Cutts