Photo series reveals grace and discipline among challenges of orphan life

His angels are vulnerable children, all between six and 16 and attending the Koninklijk Werk IBIS maritime school in Bredene, where they get an education focused on discipline and human warmth, something that’s missing in their complex home situations.

The school was founded by King Albert I at the start of the last century to give shelter and care for the poor and often neglected orphans of fisher families, explains the photographer, who has previously portrayed fisherman, in the book that accompanies this exhibition at the Navigo National Fishery Museum in Oostduinkerke. With a hint of nostalgia in their traditional sailor uniform, the children look pure but fragile.

“Every child has the right to a clear horizon, even when it’s stormy at sea,” Vanfleteren says. So, though all pupils have a set of different uniforms, he portrayed them wearing their Sunday “first-class uniform”, reserved for official ceremonies and festivities. “You might consider the obligatory uniform, the discipline and the student number they receive when enrolling to be an anachronism from past times, but it gives these youngsters a grip on the chaos in their lives.”

As well as pure and fragile, the pupils also look proud of their Sunday best, as if they want to highlight the exhibition’s name. The photo series is also featured in the book Onze Vissers: Het DNA van Het Zilte Leven, which offers an extensive illustrated history of the Belgian fishing industry since 1830. Focusing on the heritage and soul of the fishermen’s culture, the book comes with a CD including six traditional sailor’s songs by Smory & de Visschers, a quartet headed by the Flemish blues singer and guitarist Roland Van Campenhout.

Until 20 November, Navigo, Oostduinkerke

Photo: Stephan Vanfleteren