The unbearable weight of the ocean
Mandy Barker, a British photographer, is a photographer who focuses on picking up garbage at the seaside. Her photography presents a surreal universe, in which garbage turns into stars, whirlpools and creatures. This makes us have to think: How did this rubbish drift into the sea? In 1964, Mandy Barker, a photographer born in Hull, England, won global recognition with a series of themed works taking marine garbage such as plastic as the shooting object. From driftwood and shells in childhood to plastic bags, soccer balls, lighters and household appliances nowadays, Barker collects them like treasures, carefully selects the best models, and then poses them in a wild manner. When you first look at her photographs, you will think that you have entered a surreal universe. In the whirlpool, those daily necessities, like different stars, automatically rotate or circle until you see the annotation of pictures. It suddenly dawned on you that what was as vast as the universe was the rubbish we made!
"When I was a child, I liked the sea very much. I liked to collect all the gifts of nature by the sea. But after many years, when I go to the seaside again, what I can find is not natural objects, but some man-made wastes. Besides the most common plastics, I can even see double-door refrigerators, computers and televisions … How did these guys float to the seaside? While I think about this problem, I think it is also an environmental issue worthy of more people's attention. So, I began to try to use photography to spread this topic to the public. " Barker said. Barker loved photography since childhood, but she rarely had the opportunity to create professional photography. She didn't get professional training until she went to De Montfort University to take a postgraduate course in photography. It was during her class at De Montfort University that she took plastic waste as her first shot. "My first photography project mainly wanted to discuss' waste' and' time'-how long does it take for the ocean to degrade these wastes? Finally, my proposition is ambiguous. " In this way, Mandy embarked on the road of promoting environmental protection. In her beautiful and imaginative picture, these "stars" remind people of the "ugliness" behind them all the time. Although the road to environmental protection is vague and difficult, Barker has tried to collect creative materials from oceans and beaches all over the world since then. She insists on using "beauty" to lead people to pay attention to the "evil" behind it. "I believe that photography and art can change people's thinking. When the text or data is too complicated to be understood, the visual information presented by photography is clear at a glance. Photography is a powerful way of communication that can exist beyond language barriers. " Barker explained, "I hope that through visual impact, readers will change and take active actions to solve more and more serious environmental problems. But even if it only stimulates them to reflect and think, then I think the purpose of my creation has been achieved. "