{"id":7684,"date":"2026-04-01T16:25:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seineavenue.com\/?p=7684"},"modified":"2026-05-16T17:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:31:35","slug":"meeting-with-francoise-huguier-aboard-murano-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seineavenue.com\/en\/meeting-with-francoise-huguier-aboard-murano-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting with Bill Bernstein aboard Far\u00f6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

On the occasion of the exhibition The Beat Goes On!<\/em> at Quai de la Photo<\/a>, we met photographer Bill Bernstein<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We took advantage of this moment shared with Bill Bernstein aboard the Far\u00f6<\/a> to ask him about his relationship with sailing and those suspended moments that continue to inspire and energize his work today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York is shaped by water\u2014the Hudson River, the East River, and the harbor. Do these waterways remind you of trips you\u2019ve taken by boat or on rivers elsewhere in the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was a child, my father bought a boat. Some weekends, we\u2019d cruise up and down the Hudson as a family. Those moments left a deep impression on me\u2014the 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t just a backdrop; it was a setting in motion, in constant transformation, much like photography itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 Bill Bernstein<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, when I traveled by boat or along rivers in other parts of the world\u2014passing through ports, hopping from island to island, or following unfamiliar waterways\u2014that feeling always returned. The feeling of being in transition. Between two destinations. Observing the world from a certain distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, New York\u2019s waterways resonate deeply within me. They connect the city not only in space, but also in time\u2014to childhood, to family, and to those first moments when I realized that it is the journeys, more than the destinations, that shape our perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of your photographs stem from a sense of closeness\u2014being 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, closeness has never been just a matter of physical distance\u2014it\u2019s a matter of permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t force it. You have to earn it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was photographing in clubs like Studio 54 or Paradise Garage, I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s 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\u2019re being watched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s when closeness emerged. These photographs aren\u2019t about physical closeness. They\u2019re about emotional closeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 Bill Bernstein
__________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 cr\u00e9dit photo : Marion Briffod

The exhibition \u201cThe Beat Goes on!\u201d is on view at Quai de la Photo through April 24, 2026.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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