Through the use of microscopic photography and with a kind of forensic inquisitiveness and existential wondering, Weber brings us close to these fragments, offering us, too, the longer view: the eerie hush of the beachhead and the expressionless features of the sea and sky, edged in grasses. The series invites a contemplation of the endless quiet that lies beyond the flare of bold historical events, offering a cautionary tale of the hubris of humankind.”

— Sarah Milroy, art critic

The seacoast of Normandy churns with history.

In this visionary rite of images, texts, and scientific data, photographer Donald Weber and colleagues explore the sand beaches where the D-Day invasion was once fought, inch by inch, hand to hand. Their task was to gather forensic evidence, and determine the fate of this legendary battle over time.

The war-relics presented here create an immersive experience on the theme of collective memory. They include WWII spy-craft and old Hollywood movies, dioramas and drone-mounted cameras, private post-war memoirs and wistful seaside photographs. These artifacts reveal war’s quantum traces. And they expose our civilization's longing for a final victory over death.
War Sand seeks a great truth: What is history?
And what does it mean to us, its creators and survivors?