Stephan Vanfleteren - Transcripts of a Sea 

The Scheepvaartmuseum will present the temporary exhibition Stephan Vanfleteren – Transcripts of a Sea. In this impressive series of photographs, Vanfleteren presents images born of an obsession that literally drove him out to sea for five years.

Driven by an intense longing, Vanfleteren travelled along the coastline of northern France and the southern Netherlands to capture the sea in all its guises. The exhibition shows how the sea can be familiar and unpredictable, calm and devastating, yet also endlessly elusive.

Alongside the images, Vanfleteren shares personal memories, observations and reflections. This invites visitors not only to look, but also to confront their own relationship with the sea. Alongside Vanfleteren’s photography, the black-and-white film The Tide Will Bring You Home, directed by Basile Rabaey, is on show. For two years, the filmmaker followed Vanfleteren and witnessed how the sea had him in its grip. Rabaey accompanied him amidst the tranquillity of a mirror-smooth water’s surface, the raging waves at night and through the force of a mighty swell. Finally, visitors have the opportunity to view the impressive book Transcripts of a Sea in the exhibition. The book is also available to purchase in the museum shop.