Image Analysis

Key Themes – Vilde Rolfsen’s photos focus on the effects of plastic waste to our land and seas, focusing on discarded bags that Rolfsen finds on Oslo’s streets. She hopes that her work will get viewers to think more about their own consumption patterns and help them make a choice to do something rather than being told. She took inspiration from her home country Norway and took plastic bags to photograph them to look like mountains and glaciers.

Content – A plastic bag that has been taken from close up to make it appear as a glacier or something that is natural and not man made from harmful chemicals.

Formal Elements – Rolfsen used a darker purple/blue light which has a high contrast with the white plastic bag which creates a high tonal range between light and dark. This makes the atmosphere feel dark along with the movement in the bag, the structure creates creases and texture in the bag highlighting the dark shadows in the bag. The centre of the image is in focus but the outer edge is blurred which creates a deep depth of field which leads the viewers eye to the centre of the image as it is also darkest in the centre and lighter on the edge. the structure and lines shown in this image could relate to how a plastic bag is man made and is not naturally formed.

Mood – The image is very dark and gloomy due to the colours used and the structure within the bag.