The Baltic Sea. On the other side
The Polish Baltic Sea collection is part of a larger photographic project entitled “The Baltic Sea. On the other side” – my personal project dedicated to the Baltic Sea and its diverse aspects. The ongoing Baltic project covers all the countries of the Baltic Sea basin. This Web page focuses exclusively on the Polish coast and presents photographs showing its landscapes, architecture and people.
The project aims to look at the “other side” – the things that are commonplace and obvious to us, Poles, may be completely different and even surprising to the inhabitants of the eight neighboring countries. Similarly, we ourselves often imagine the Swedish, German or Latvian in warped or outdated ways. What is it really like on the other side today? How much unites us and how much divides us? Is the Baltic Sea a border, or is it a common space?
In 2024, the project received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland. This allowed me to fully focus on documenting the Polish coast.
The main goal of my photographic work was to capture nature, architecture and the ways in which people use the resources of the Baltic Sea. For some, the sea is a place of work, for others – a place to rest. There are also scientists who study the state of the sea’s fauna and flora, taking care of the future of its delicate ecosystem.
During the project, I photographed and documented the daily life of people for whom the Baltic Sea is a key part of everyday reality. I spent time with fishermen, recording their hard work and daily struggle against the elements. I participated in a week-long ichthyological cruise onboard a research vessel of the University of Gdańsk. There, I observed scientists analyzing the state of the waters and marine fauna. I also documented tourist life in the high season, when the beaches are full of people, as well as the off-season, when the coast becomes empty and quiet.
The nature of the Baltic Sea, including the picturesque dunes of the Słowiński National Park, took a special place in my work. Conversations with visitors were also an important element of the project. I learned that many people have been returning to the Polish Baltic Sea for decades, always to the same place, fondly recalling their childhood and youth. The result of this documentary journey and observation is a collection of several dozen photographs that depict glimpses of the contemporary face of the Polish Baltic Sea – its nature, architecture, its people, their work, their daily life and the challenges they face.
– Barabasz Opałko