Linha do mar
Dublin Core
Title
Linha do mar
Subject
Documentary
Description
Linha do Mar explores the rituals of belonging, power and submission within Praxe, Portugal’s student initiation tradition.
In December 2013, six students died on Meco Beach. The tragedy may have been connected to Praxe — an ordeal for students holding senior positions within its hierarchy, in which ritual becomes a form of discipline, and discipline the language of belonging.
In accounts of a ritual known as “Linha do Mar”, students stand blindfolded with their backs to the ocean. For each wrong answer, they take a step backwards — closer to the water. The ritual symbolizes purification through fear and a passage from darkness into light. Ignorance must be left behind in the ocean. The ritual is said to draw inspiration from Fernando Pessoa’s The Hour of the Devil.
Through photographs, a newspaper-style insert and QR-linked field recordings, the book explores the relationship between individual vulnerability and collective identity.
In December 2013, six students died on Meco Beach. The tragedy may have been connected to Praxe — an ordeal for students holding senior positions within its hierarchy, in which ritual becomes a form of discipline, and discipline the language of belonging.
In accounts of a ritual known as “Linha do Mar”, students stand blindfolded with their backs to the ocean. For each wrong answer, they take a step backwards — closer to the water. The ritual symbolizes purification through fear and a passage from darkness into light. Ignorance must be left behind in the ocean. The ritual is said to draw inspiration from Fernando Pessoa’s The Hour of the Devil.
Through photographs, a newspaper-style insert and QR-linked field recordings, the book explores the relationship between individual vulnerability and collective identity.
Creator
Alexander Shadrin
Publisher
Self-published by Alexander Shadrin
Date
2026
Format
Printed photobook, 112 pages, hand-bound with Coptic binding. Includes a newspaper-style insert and QR-linked field recordings.
Photobook Item Type Metadata
Dimensions
208x295 mm
Number of Pages
112
Number of images
62
Edition Size
100 numbered copies
Place of Publication
Lisboa
Designer
Alexander Shadrin, AnyaBelka
Editor
Alexander Shadrin
Website
linhadomar.com
URL Link to project
https://linhadomar.com
Where to buy
https://linhadomar.com
Collection
Citation
Alexander Shadrin, “Linha do mar,” Photobook Cafe Photobook Collection, accessed October 3, 2026, https://photobookcafe-archive.co.uk/items/show/2387.