THE PIER: Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach, Maine is a classic New England beach resort with the Pier standing out as a magnet for all kinds of activities. The current iteration of the Pier was constructed in 1980 after the previous longer pier was destroyed in a storm in 1978 (the original pier was built in 1898 out of steel and was over three times as long). During the summers of 2016 and 2017 Katzenstein spent some time on and around the structure, documenting the ebb and flow of people as they migrated from the beach below to the shops above. The wooden walkway is lined with souvenir shops, carnival-style foods, and a nightclub at the end of the pier. There is the sense that the day visitors have stepped back into another time period, when cotton candy and caramel popcorn were pure bliss and young lovers could rendezvous under the pier.