Our seas and waterways have long been a dumping ground for the detritus of our lives, but with the advent of plastics, that litter is now long-lived and has become a blight. We’re so accustomed to walking past plastic trash washed up along our shores that we barely notice it.
There is a long tradition of monochrome seascapes showing the beauty and majesty of the sea. Living on the south coast of Ireland, I’m lucky to get to explore many spectacular coastlines. To show the impact of litter on what should be pristine beaches, I’ve been exploring a new way of processing my photographs: First, I take a traditional seascape. Then, using a transfer lift, I print it onto marine litter collected at the same location, usually on the same day. The resulting image is photographed on a light box so that the plastic, with its scratches and damage, merges with the seascape, forming what I call a “plastiscene.” These images are a visual metaphor for the damage nonbiodegradable waste is doing to fragile marine ecosystems.
—Adrian Newcombe
