STYLE OF SPORT: JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE BEACH

Spreads from "THE PLIGHT OF THE TORPEDO PEOPLE" by Keith Malloy (top) & "LIFE'S A BEACH" by Martin ParrI received my Artbook / D.A.P. spring catalogue this week and in it were two books on a spread: Keith Malloy's The Plight of the Torpedo People and Martin Parr's Life's a Beach. I'm not sure if the intent was to show the two extremes of a day at the beach but I loved the juxtaposition.

The Plight of the Torpedo People by Keith Malloy is a collection of photographs, frame grabs and personal essays documenting the making of his first film, "Come Hell or Highwater", about the sport of bodysurfing. While Malloy is most widely known as a surfer, his exploration into the world of bodysurfing began some 10 years ago in a quest to reconnect with the ocean. "Come Hell or High Water" looks at the history, culture and beauty of the sport of bodysurfing, alongside the purity of experience that is riding a wave.

Martin Parr is a key figure in the world of photography, recognized as a brilliant satirist of contemporary life. Author of over 30 photography books, including Common Sense, Our True Intent Is All for Your Delight and Boring Postcards, Life’s a Beach is a follow up to the original limited-edition, album-style publication.

Parr has been photographing beaches around the world for many decades, documenting sunbathers and swimmers, and highlighting one of his favorite themes of public spaces in which general absurdities and local quirks seamlessly fuse together.