The photo book Like Birds by photographer Sven Jacobsen takes us back to a carefree time of youthful self-awareness, to a summer full of adventure. In their immediacy, a timeless dimension develops in his photographs of youngsters experimenting; exuberantly jumping into the water; clambering around on fences, poles, and dunes; being silly; kissing; skateboarding; or simply lying in the tall grass. In this way, the lakes, dunes, or apartments depicted become places in a collective memory. The spherical landscapes captured in this way—the snapshots of free youth with its beauty, its chaos, its silence, and its loudness—quickly develop a narrative pull. What looks like a light-hearted summer snapshot on the surface may suddenly touch deeper layers of the subconscious.

SVEN JACOBSEN (*1969) began working as a freelance photographer in 1999 after studying architecture. He is known for his campaigns for major clients such as BMW, Nikon, and Coca-Cola, as well as for his editorials for magazines such as Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Interview.