Morgan Maassen has a well-documented body of work as both a cinematographer and photographer of surfing. Amongst other claims, he’s spent time as Kelly’s go to guy behind the lens and has also helped define Steph Gilmore’s aesthetic in out of the water (Morgan shot a Tracks cover of Steph a few years back and has a couple of Tracks covers to his name).
This cinematic journey, however, represents a movement towards film as a form of pure art rather than a medium for illuminating a single subculture. Part nature documentary, part urban montage, Maassen’s ‘Fissures’ will have you swimming with seals beneath an oil rig one minute and wandering through an Asian metropolis the next. Whether it be slow dancing clouds, frenzied birds on a broiling ocean, or a snowboarder traversing a vertiginous sea of white, capturing beauty and emphasising contrast seem to be Maassen’s primary aims.
This is no high-fi surf flick designed to psyche you up for the weekend session, but if you can set aside some time, it’s the kind of visual meditation that will transport you to another place – if you just let it.