Photographs of Sand Formations from the Danish West Coast

Grains 2008–2020 explores rare and beautiful sand formations along the Danish west coast. The photographed sections measure just approximately 1 × 1 metre and possess abstract, biological, geological and topographical qualities.

“I photograph fragments of the Danish west coast as abstract landscapes, without staging or artificial light.”

A study in shades of grey that challenges scale and slowly reveals its many visual nuances and details. The photographs dissolve the viewer’s sense of scale, shifting between the microscopic world of sand and landscapes seen from the air, satellite imagery and the surfaces of distant planets. Only gradually does the true size of the subjects become apparent.

The photographs are made without staging or artificial lighting, recording nature’s ephemeral formations exactly as they appeared. The series was created over many years along the Danish west coast, where wind, water and tides continuously shape and erase the patterns.

Previously exhibited in Denmark and Germany.

“Within a single square metre of sand, microscopic structures, aerial landscapes and the surfaces of distant planets emerge”