De spullen van de zeeman

The sea… sailed and fished, explored, contested, painted, and sung about, feared and loved… There is so much to tell about the sea. Through more than 50 objects from his collection, the author attempts to paint a picture of this fascinating world. But this book is not a catalogue raisonné, not a navigation course, nor a manual for shipowners, and above all, it’s not a book about objects. It’s about the people behind these items, often simple folk: fishermen, sailmakers, adventurers, skippers… people who tied their fate to the sea. They designed or reinvented many of these objects to make their harsh lives a little easier.

Dutch photographer Eddo Hartmann gives these objects a new dimension. A sail-repair needle or a sardine tin suddenly becomes a work of art. The belongings of the seaman immediately gain a soul of their own.