The 2026 season is off to a great start !

On the occasion of the exhibition The Beat Goes On! at Quai de la Photo, we met photographer Bill Bernstein during a cruise on the Seine. A key figure in the New York scene of the 1970s and 1980s, he is known for his iconic images of nightlife, particularly at Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Through his lens, Bernstein captured the raw energy, freedom, and excitement of an era when music, dance, and imagery were one.

We took advantage of this moment shared with Bill Bernstein aboard the Farö to ask him about his relationship with sailing and those suspended moments that continue to inspire and energize his work today.

New York is shaped by water—the Hudson River, the East River, and the harbor. Do these waterways remind you of trips you’ve taken by boat or on rivers elsewhere in the world?

New York has always struck me as a city shaped by water. Long before I understood its history or began photographing its nightlife, water was already part of how I learned to see the world.

When I was a child, my father bought a boat. Some weekends, we’d cruise up and down the Hudson as a family. Those moments left a deep impression on me—the slow pace, the shifting light, the way the city softened as soon as we moved away from the shore. From the water, New York looked different: less harsh, more enigmatic, almost cinematic.

I believe those early trips taught me the essentials: to observe rather than rush, to be attentive to the atmosphere, the reflections, the nuances. The Hudson wasn’t just a backdrop; it was a setting in motion, in constant transformation, much like photography itself.

© Bill Bernstein

Later, when I traveled by boat or along rivers in other parts of the world—passing through ports, hopping from island to island, or following unfamiliar waterways—that feeling always returned. The feeling of being in transition. Between two destinations. Observing the world from a certain distance.

Yes, New York’s waterways resonate deeply within me. They connect the city not only in space, but also in time—to childhood, to family, and to those first moments when I realized that it is the journeys, more than the destinations, that shape our perspective.

Many of your photographs stem from a sense of closeness—being close to people, close to their movements. In New York, where distance and speed dominate, how do you manage to create that sense of closeness?

For me, closeness has never been just a matter of physical distance—it’s a matter of permission.

New York is fast-paced, noisy, and constantly on the move. People there shield themselves through speed. So I realized very early on that, if you want to achieve a sense of intimacy in such an environment, you can’t force it. You have to earn it.

When I was photographing in clubs like Studio 54 or Paradise Garage, I didn’t just drop by with a camera. I kept coming back, night after night. People started to recognize me. I was no longer a stranger looking for images; I was part of the scene. From that point on, the camera stopped being a barrier and almost disappeared.

That’s when the gestures reveal themselves: a glance, a hand resting on a shoulder, a moment of relaxation. These things only appear when people feel confident enough to forget they’re being watched.

I believe that closeness arises from presence. From listening more than speaking. From staying long enough for the staging to fade away. In a city obsessed with speed, I slowed down, and that’s when closeness emerged. These photographs aren’t about physical closeness. They’re about emotional closeness.

© Bill Bernstein
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© crédit photo : Marion Briffod

The exhibition “The Beat Goes on!” is on view at Quai de la Photo through April 24, 2026.

Since 1927, Maison Kaspia Réceptions has been a Parisian institution, renowned for its elegance and art of hospitality. With Caviar Kaspia at its core, the company has established itself as an exceptional caterer thanks to meticulous sourcing and masterful expertise.
At Seine Avenue, we have the privilege of collaborating with Kaspia to enhance your cruises and make every onboard experience memorable, the result of a partnership between our high standards and their culinary expertise.

The Seine Avenue team visited the Maison Kaspia Réceptions facility, where the platters that accompany your experiences on the Seine are prepared. Through a few photos, we invite you to discover their expertise and take a behind-the-scenes look at this collaboration.

Surrounded by their ingredients, the chefs remind us that the menus created by Kaspia change with the seasons. Inspired by the rhythm of nature and the freshness of the available produce, their creations guarantee a unique culinary experience on every voyage.

On their workstations, one discovers fir pepper with woody and subtly resinous notes, as well as delicately floral pollen. These refined combinations reflect a contemporary and masterful approach to the art of hospitality, true to the high standards and sensitivity that define the identity of Maison Kaspia Réceptions.

Pre-orders are placed at the time of booking. Our sales team is here to assist you and help make your vision a reality. Please don’t hesitate to contact us—we’d be delighted to speak with you and offer our advice.

© crédit photo : Marion Briffod

Formed during the Urban Films Festival and the “Urban Photo” exhibition at Quai de la Photo, The Furies is a temporary musical collective comprised of three prominent figures from the Parisian scene: David Hachour on programming, Alexandre Destrez on keyboards, and Edmundo Carneiro on percussion. Together, they explore a sonic landscape where jazz rock, funk, hip-hop, and electronic music intersect. Inspired by street culture and the cinematic legacy of the 1980s, the three artists revisit seven cult soundtracks in reinvented versions, blending energy, tension, and freedom.

We met with The Furies aboard Farö to discuss their relationship with sailing, creativity, and this musical journey that connects their world to both the streets and the rivers.

Does sailing—or the image of a river—bring back any specific memories related to your musical journey?

Alex: Yeah, of course! The Concorde Atlantique houseboat… I was the resident DJ there for a season (the DelaHouse parties)—it was a true mecca for electronic music in the 2000s. It wasn’t actually sailing, but we were all down in the hold, with the waterline right at eye level with the portholes—it was a guaranteed thrill! The best of house music kept us going all night long, and the magic of the scene did the rest…

If you had to associate a word, a sound, or an image with the Seine today, which one would you choose?

The trio: The Gangs of New York, each parading on their own boat!

In your life, is there a river, a sea, or a journey on the water that has left a lasting impression on you?

David: The Caribbean Sea, without a doubt. It reminds me of my very first DJ set abroad—a magical moment. We’d organized a rave party with the organizer of the Mozinor Nord events, back when they were at their peak. That year, in Guadeloupe, we found ourselves in an abandoned military warehouse, ravaged by hurricanes, right across from a breathtaking bay. At sunrise, we felt like turtles emerging from the water, witnessing one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.

Alex: It just so happens that I lived on a houseboat, a Freycinet, moored south of Paris, where I had set up my home studio. The river, river navigation… all of that brings back so many memories. It was actually during that time that I composed all the tracks for the electro-jazz project Rive Gauche—several EPs and an album, Au Tabou, released in 2020—in collaboration with David on production and Edmundo on percussion. I also wrote my first solo piano pieces there: the tranquility of the place and the flow of the water inspired me to create more introspective and contemplative music.

If your music were a boat on the Seine, which pier would it dock at? Would it be on the left bank or the right bank?

The trio: It’s a tricky question, because we’re working on several projects. Left Bank is obviously very… Rive Gauche, with its jazz roots and historical heritage. The Furies, on the other hand, is more 80s electronic pop—definitely Right Bank!

Your artistic journey seems to be marked by various stops along the way: stages, collaborations, iconic venues. Which of these stops has had the greatest impact on your musical journey?

Alex: For me, without a doubt: Japan. An incredible, timeless experience.

Concerts along the Seine often have a special, almost cinematic atmosphere. What does a night on the water mean to you: freedom, mystery, or tranquility?

The trio: Freedom, without a doubt. In a city like Paris, which can sometimes feel stifling, the banks of the Seine remain a magical escape—a breath of fresh air, a space to breathe and let your imagination run wild.

© photo credit : Marion Briffod

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The exhibition “Urban Photo: 50 Years of Urban Aesthetics” is on view at Quai de la Photo through December 18, 2025.

37 links between two banks, sometimes giving the impression they are preventing the islands from following the current and flowing into the sea with the Seine. The often have their feet in the water, seven-league boots that resist and endless current. When you stop in front of their piers, you see these prows, motionless yet cutting through the waves as if they returning to their source.

Every bridge has it own story, of course, but some deserve a little more attention.

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Episode 1 : The Pont Neuf

The Pont Neuf is the oldest of all bridges that can be seen today in Paris. Other older wooden bridges have disappeared. Other, built after it, have also been destroyed and replaced.

Construction began under Henry III in 1578, and was completed in 1607 un Henry IV, whose equestrian statue, inspired by antiquity, stands between the two parts of the bridge. It was melted down during the Revolution and restored…during the Restoration.

The Bridge has stood the test of time and shows no signs of weakness. Its foundations are made of wood, like those of Notre Dame or Venice, consisting of forests of piles driven into the bed of the Seine.

Together with the Place Dauphine (name after the Dauphin, the future Louis XIII), it constitutes one of the first urban development projects in Paris.

Giuseppe Canella – Ile de la Cité and the Pont-neuf, seen from the quai du Louvre, 1832 (Carnavalet Museum)

This bridge was new, not because it had just been built, wich was the case for all bridges at the beginning of their career, but new in terms of its novelty and modernity. Is was the first to be built of stone in a long time; the first to have sidewalks, allowing people to walk safely ans sheltered from the dirt of the roadway; the first not to be covered with houses. The were indeed shops above each pier, like the watchtowers of a fortified castle, but they were few and far between and had no upper floors.

A shop on the Pont-Neuf in 1848, based on an engraving by Martial – 1848

Under these stalls were storage rooms and cellars, nestled in thickness of the piles and connected to each other by underground passageway beneath the bridge deck.

The alcoves overlooking the Seine were cleared, of the shops that occupied them in the 19th century, and they are now among the most beautiful public benches in Paris. As a teenager, it was one of my favorite destinations for bike or moped trips. I would sit there for hours, overlooking the Seine, reading and basking in the sun.

And since I’m on the subject of personal memories, I really liked Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s wrapping of the bridge in 1985. At the time, I was studying for my exam to move up to the second year of architecture school. My school was very close by, on the left bank. The stairs leading down to the Square du Vert Galand had also been covered in canvas; the sounds of the city were muffled there. Sitting on the steps, I found a place to concentrate, which was quite precious to me.

On the massive retaining wall that contains this staircase, below, downstream a small plaque reads that Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned here in March 1314. The pyre was probably somewhere under the current Place Dauphine.

We do not know what his last words were to Pope Clement and King Philip (IV, also known as the Fair), but Maurice Druont, in Les Rois Maudits (“The Accursed Kings”) depicts him cursing his executioners with these words :

“Pop Clement! Knight Guillaume! King Philip! Within a year, I summon you to appear before the court of God to receive your juste punishment. Damned! Damned! May you all be damned to the thirteenth generation of your races!.”

The mascarons of the Pont-Neuf

With the mascarons of the Pont, the Samaritaine pump, the Monnaie lock-dam, and undoubtedly many other curiosities, this end of the Ile de la Cité, this floating cradle of Paris, is a dense place, always at the forefront… Is it a bow or a stern? It all depends on your point of view.

View of the Pont Neuf and the Samaritaine Pump in Paris in 1743 – Hyacinthe de la Peigne – Museum of Fine Arts of Vienna

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The article is written by Philippe Fournié

To mark the exhibition devoted to Malian photography currently on view at Quai de la Photo, photographer, academician and frequent traveler Françoise Huguier, who also initiated the Biennale de Bamako, climbed aboard Murano for a symbolic voyage down the Seine. Known for her visual narratives from the far reaches of the world, she spoke of her intimate relationship with rivers, navigation, creation and memory. This journey became a privileged moment for exchange and reflection on her artistic universe and the importance of travel in her photographic approach.

Does navigation or the idea of the river bring to mind any particular memories of your travels?
The first river that brought to mind a whole life story was the Mekong, in 1950 in Cambodia, when I was a prisoner of the Việt Minh at the age of 8. To get to the camp in a virgin forest, they took us by pirogue from Kompong-Tiam to Kratié.

And in 1980, I was lucky enough to get a visa for Burma. I travelled by boat on the Irrawaddy, from Mandalay to Pagan, a major Buddhist archaeological site, with numerous monasteries, pagodas and temples. I was able to photograph the ports of call at each of the rather long stopovers.

Mali, like other places you’ve visited, is often crossed by rivers. Has this proximity to water influenced your way of seeing or photographing?

The Niger River flows through Mali… Malick Sidibé’s photos of bathers on the banks of the Niger, particularly women in bathing suits and even naked, gave me the idea of taking the boat from Koulikoro, which is the port of Bamako, and going as far as Timbuktu. Before that, I was inspired by Mopti and the whole Peul region, where the locals would come into the water to offer us fruit and vegetables. This enabled me to photograph people up close. In Timbuktu, I knew there were hippos in the Niger, so I took a pirogue to go and photograph them. Unfortunately, when hippos are in the water, you can only see two small ears. But as luck would have it, on the other side of the river, a herd of dromedaries passed by, so I took pictures repeatedly, and the last dromedary passed by just as the bozo piroguier lowered his head. That’s when I pressed the shutter release. And that photo, where everything happens on the left, became an iconic image.

“The Bozo fisherman, Timbuktu, 1988”. Cover of Françoise Huguier’s book “Sur les traces de l’Afrique fantôme” (ed. Maeght, 1990) © Françoise Huguier

How do you see the link between travel, observation and creation in your work?

Before traveling, I read a lot – L’Afrique fantôme, in the footsteps of Michel Leiris, or about polar Siberia for Kommunalka. Reading gives me ideas. And what’s important to me are the people, the light, the framing… I’ve never been influenced by other photographers, rather by film directors, such as Tarkovsky for polar Siberia.

If you had to associate a word or image with the Seine today, which would you choose?

 What stands out for me when I’m at the Quai de la Photo are all the barges that go by. I thought there were fewer and fewer of them, but every time I sit down and look around, I still see lots of them. It reminds me of Jean Vigo’s film L’Atalante.

© photo credit : Marion Briffod

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The exhibition “Un autre Mali dans un autre monde” is on view at Quai de la Photo through June 1, 2025.

Every year, new adventures are written on the Seine. Aboard each of Seine Avenue’s boats, passionate men and women work hard every day to offer you special moments suspended out of time, between sky and water, heritage and poetry. Today, I invite you to discover the men and women who make the heart of our fleet beat faster.

At the helm of this 2025 season you will find a tight-knit duo formed by Yoan and Arthur, both operations managers. They join forces to ensure fluid synergy between the crews and operations.

On board, Balthazar and Rosa embody the elegance and mastery needed to welcome passengers with professionalism and kindness, accompanied by Térence and Claire, attentive deckhands, bringing their attention to the smallest detail.

Our captains Laura, Nils, Arthur (yes, a second one!) and Jules take the helm with unfailing skill, carefully ensuring that each cruise runs smoothly.

Philippe, founder of Seine Avenue, continues to instill his vision into the whole project, ensuring the continuity of a beautiful human and nautical mechanism. He is accompanied by Gauthier, our sales manager, whose energy is focused on development and partnerships

Behind the scenes is Éloïse, our customer relations manager. She is your first voice and your first smile when you contact us. And Martin, our administrator, ensures the stability of internal operations.

We wish you a great season and a wonderful time aboard our boats! 🌊

Behind the camera

My name is Marion, and if you happen to see photos of this wonderful team (whether candid or posed!) chances are I’m the one behind the lens. My role is to capture the everyday moments of those who bring unforgettable experiences to life on the Seine.
Through my images, I strive to reflect the soul of this human and floating adventure, between reflections and truths, gestures and smiles. See you soon for the rest of the season, either on the water or through my images!

© crédit photo : Marion Briffod

We had the privilege to receive french photographer Franck Desplanques aboard Murano, whose works are currently on display at Quai de la Photo. This encounter along the Seine was the opportunity to explore his universe and to understand how the voyage feeds his look and artistic approach.

The Murano thus turned into a place for discussion and reflection while we talked about travelling and photographing. A moment out of time, as the artist shared his experiences on the way each journey feeds his inspiration, how it changes the way he looks at the world.

Franck Desplanques captures through his lens the diversity of indigenous cultures all around the globe. His work isn’t only limited to a documentary approach, it also aims at reaching beyond the usual code and practices to provide a sensible and immersive view upon the daily life of these communities. Far from the cold objectivity of a photoreport, his images are filled with a visual poetry that rightfully renders the deep ties between a population and its environment.

At the heart of his approach, the voyage is a constant encounter: with territories, faces, and ways of life. Observing is not enough, one needs to feel, listen and understand. Franck’s pictures are the result of this immersion, of the proximity that he develops with the inhabitants of the landscapes he comes across. Each image thus becomes a fragment of a journey, an invitation to discover tales and traditions that are often overlooked.

Through his exhibition, Franck Desplanques offers us the possibility to dive into the heart of each of these worlds, where each picture tells a singular story. His compositions play with light, matter and colors to translate the essence of each moment. This sensibility turns his work into a real visual odyssey, between reality and fantasy.

Franck Desplanques’ exhibit is an invitation to travel in a different manner, through the sensibility of a gaze that transcends the barriers and reveals the beauty of cultures all across the globe. des cultures du monde.

© crédit photo : Marion Briffod

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