Acid #8
170 x 235 mm, 400 pages
Douarnenez, France (French and English-language)
Annual
Editors/design: Quentin Coulombier, Baptiste Le Provost & Thomas Le Provost
‘Surf? Yes, and no’
Acid is a non-traditional surf magazine, looking at the wider world through the lens of surfing. Beautifully designed, it aims to permeate the rigid membrane of surf culture, connecting it to everything that surrounds it.
This latest edition, themed ‘Liquid After All’, juxtaposes the meaning we project onto the ocean through symbolism, stories, and fables, with the pragmatic realisation that the sea is impervious to our personal belief systems. The words of oceanographer Anita Conti underpin the ethos of this edition: ‘Life is very surprising, everything passes, nothing remains, it’s delightful.’ Inside, Louise Hémon profiles Conti—nicknamed ‘The Lady of the Sea’ by sailors—through her work directing a documentary exploring the oceanographer’s oeuvre, sampling archive Super 8 and 16mm reels captured by Conti; Sarah Chaplin Espenson presents her series ‘Blinded by Your Grace’, a gendered visual exploration of storm chasing, raising questions surrounding feminine ‘power, visibility, and autonomy’; and founder of menswear brand Stockholm Surfboard Club, Manne Haglund Glad, sits in conversation with the editorial team to discuss the blurred lines between surf culture and fashion.