Sable d’Arcachon – France

Photographer’s comment: “This image was created in the South-West of France and depicts La Dune du Pyla, the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is located in La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area, France, 60 km from Bordeaux. The dune has a volume of about 60,000,000 m³, measuring around 500 m wide from east to west and 3 km in length from north to south. Its height is 107 metres above sea level. Close to this magnificent sand dune are: Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne (1970), and Reserve Naturel National ‘Banc d’Arguin (1972).
The Atlantic winds flow from the west and lift the sand from the bottom of the ocean to form the dune, protected from the East by a pine forest. Surrounded by vast expanses of water, this unique natural feature forms part the French natural heritage.

Drawing on the pre-Socratic classical Greek philosophical tradition, the image is seen by the artist as a manifestation of tension between two primary elements of the earth and the air.“