The ephemeral neighborhood of Isla Vista is just a few creaky wooden steps away from Devereux, a spot that any resident who owns a surfboard becomes intimately attached to. The waves crash onto the Coal Oil Point reserve, an open area of nature that has cultivated a unique population of non-student surfers, all with their own stories to tell. Daniela Schwartz and Lukas Olesinski spent the last three years compiling interviews, taking photos, and teaching themselves the whole process of assembling a book: The Lineup.
Both Lukas and Schwartz were UCSB students when the project began in January 2021, and they took to the water any chance they could find between classes. Being out in the waves during winter 2021 among rippers like Aaron Howard, MJ Butts, and Bela Laffertry sparked their curiosity about the non-student members of the community. Who are these radical surfers and what brings them to this special location?
Schwartz, who was president of UC Santa Barbara’s Surfrider student club, and Olesinski, a UCSB grad and freelance photographer, collected stories from 15 longtime residents — from 74-year-old artist Hank Pitcher to 26-year-old I.V.-native Bela Lafferty — describing the deep connection they have with the community, sticky tarry feet, and the conservation of the open space between Isla Vista and Coal Oil Point Reserve.
“We hoped this project would celebrate every individual that holds this slice of nature between Isla Vista and Coal Oil Point Reserve close to their heart,” Schwartz said. “Before starting the project, I knew other people [who were no longer students] lived in Isla Vista, but I just saw it as ‘sticking around.’ Now I see it as starting a new life — when you find a community you love, you hold onto it,” she exclaimed. “Isla Vista is an unusual place to raise a family, but that only speaks to how meaningful of a place it is.”
They’re holding a launch party for the 100-page, coffee-table hardcover on Wednesday, December 13 at 6 p.m. at M. Special (6860 Cortona Drive in Goleta). Be sure to wear your dancing shoes, as Bela Lafferty, Cassidy Fragakis, and Charlie Kernkamp will be performing.
For more information and to purchase to book, see https://lukasolesinskiphotography.com/shop/the-lineup.
Correction: The launch party takes place at M. Special’s Goleta location, not in Santa Barbara.