See Our Plastic Ocean, by international award-winning photographer Mandy Barker, as it continues its national tour to 20:21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe.

The exhibition, originally presented at 20:21 prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, can now be experienced in an innovative virtual tour. See Mandy Barker’s captivating photographs, read accompanying captions and learn more about the ocean plastic crisis in this easy-to-use click through tour.

Visit the experience here

Our Plastic Ocean addresses the current global crisis of marine plastic pollution.  Barker collects debris from shorelines across the world and transforms them into powerful and captivating images. At first glance, Barker’s images are reminiscent of sea creatures and corals suspended in a dark void beneath the sea, but closer inspection reveals a more disturbing reality.  From footballs to fishing nets, cotton-buds to coffee-cup lids, Barker highlights the incongruous plastic items now ubiquitous in our seas. Currently, 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year and if these trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

From accompanying scientists on an expedition from Hawaii to Japan, tracing the debris of the 2011 Tsunami, to a voyage on board Greenpeace’s Beluga II to the Inner Hebrides, Mandy Barker has followed a trail of plastic pollution across the globe. The images resulting from these expeditions have become some of the most recognisable visual commentary on marine plastic pollution.

Barker says, “For the past decade, I have researched and documented the impact of oceanic waste, combining art and science to raise awareness.  I hope to inspire positive action in tackling this increasing environmental challenge which is of global concern”.

Striving to be a plastic-free exhibition.

An Impressions Gallery Touring Exhibition curated by Angela Sheard.