a town called rimini
AS PHOTOGRAPHER BRI HAMMOND DISCOVERED, THIS ITALIAN TOWN TAKES ‘THINGS ORGANISED NEATLY’ TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
Tell us about your photo series, Nuoto da sola. Nuoto da sola is Italian for ‘I swim alone’, and is a series of photos from the seaside city of Rimini in Italy. Along 15 kilometres of sand, umbrellas and beach lounges are sectioned off by colour. Travelling solo for the first time was my final test to prove my own autonomy after a big break-up, and these photos are a reflection on that experience. I felt awkward doing some things by myself while travelling, but always felt content swimming in the ocean alone.
What do you know about the town? It’s on the Adriatic coast, in the Emilia-romagna region of northern Italy, and is a popular holiday spot for Italians and other Europeans in summer. The film director and writer Federico Fellini was born in Rimini!
How did you end up there? In 2011, I worked as a graphic designer in Treviso, where I met my dear friend Ari. I hadn’t been back to Italy, or even Europe, since then, so a visit to see Ari in her hometown was a must. Ari always told me Rimini was daggy and I wouldn’t want to go there, so I used most of the time to catch up on rest and spend time with her. I discovered the beach on the second-to-last night, and wish I’d had more time there (and more than one roll of film!).
Tell us about the sights and sounds you encountered. There are restaurants, schmick hotels and cheap souvenir shops close to the beach, while nonnas sweeping their footpaths and hotels with signage unchanged since the ’70s line the backstreets. The endless rows of umbrellas on the beach are really something, especially when viewed from the ferris wheel.
Why were the beaches so deserted? It was the end of June, which is well into summer, but August is when Italians take their big holiday break. I took the photos mostly around sunset at 9pm, so people had headed home or back to their hotels to shower and prepare for dinner. Rimini was a much more popular place for tourists in the ’70s and ’80s, with families often renting houses for the full three months of summer. Now, young people opt to party at the trendier beaches further north.
What are the beaches like the rest of the time? People start arriving at 7am, and it’s busiest in the middle of the day. There are people playing beach volleyball on designated courts, teenagers playing football in the sand between umbrellas, sunbakers and excited kids everywhere. There’s also a lineup for gelato from a van and people eating Rimini’s signature piada – flatbread served hot and typically with prosciutto, squacquerone (a fresh, soft cheese) and rocket.
Who was in charge of keeping the areas neat and tidy? The areas with the designated umbrellas are all paid private beaches – you pay 10 euros for an umbrella, 5 euros for a lounge, and more if you want a spot closer to the water. The staff start work at 6.30am to open all the umbrellas, blow sand from the paths and sift cigarettes from the beach. They sweep again in the evening when everyone has left.
What were you hoping to capture in these shots? Coming from a small beach town in South Australia, the landscape of this beach was so alien to me, so I wanted to capture the strangeness of it. I hope viewers get the same sense of quietness, calm and content that I had when walking through the beach at dusk. I didn’t plan this series, but when I saw the empty beach, it was the perfect summary of my experiences travelling alone.
Where can we see more of your work? brihammond.com or on Instagram at @brihammond.