In the early 2000s, German photographer Mathias Koch began his investigation of Normandy landscapes marked by World War II before turning his interest to more complex, changing areas in 2009. He found the urban structure of Le Havre particularly fascinating. The proximity of sectors as diverse as the rebuilt centre, the old districts, the harbour, the industrial city, the housing developments on the outskirts, all in the midst of restructuring, provided him with a rich subject that he planned to explore in a major series.

The procedure the artist used (shooting from an aerial firetruck ladder that he positioned as he saw fit) enabled him to record unique perspectives, renewing with the register of the cavalier perspective. His photographs thus provide an enthralling reinterpretation of the urban space that highlights—particularly for the rebuilt centre—the dramatic aspect of Perret's intended design.

Produced for the exhibition "Le Havre. Images sur commande", they enrich the collection of photography and video on the Le Havre (Lucien Hervé, Gabriele Basilico, Véronique Ellena and Nancy Wilson-Pajic, among others).