In this series of images, the entire process of collection is captured, from the volunteers cleaning and analysing the banks of the Thames to  the sorting of items by categories – ceramic, glass, bone, leather, shells, organic, plastic and metal. Mark Dion instructed the volunteers to take a ‘scatter-gun’ approach to collecting: to collect anything and everything that caught their attention.

The images reflect a documentary approach, with the scenes within the images not being manipulated. The camera over exposes the images which gives a vintage feel. The details, however, stand out due to a high contrast between lights and shadows.

Before presenting the items as an installation, arranged in a mahogany cabinet, Dion captures the items sorted into plastic bags and boxes.