The Pleasure Principle

The story behind the book is as audacious as the content within. In August 2024, artist Theodore Psychoyos restored a traditional fishing boat with the idea of offering a workout to the residents of Anafi. To bring this vision to life, Habermacher and Antoine Asseraf recruited volunteers for the boat’s maiden voyage — through a decidedly unconventional casting (Can they do the Macarena? What is the distance between their nipples?). The final crew: six seamen, one captain, and one photographer. On August 19th, 2024, under the command of Captain Theodore, they set sail into a hot Aegean morning.

The Pleasure Principle chronicles this surreal and spirited undertaking with photographs in both color and silver/black duotone. The book also features an essay by art historian Savannah Sather Marquardt (Sea Without Shore), irreverent commentary by the Hallouminatis (Thus Spoke Zarapoustra!), and contributions from seven contemporary artists in the form of “Shrines to Pleasure.” The result is a playful, poetic, and provocative meditation on ritual, community, and delight.