Thirza Schaap is a photographer exploring new art forms through her Plastic Ocean project. She lives and works in Amsterdam and Cape Town, South Africa.

• “Plastic Ocean is an art project, which I started to create awareness around pollution to try and prevent (or at least reduce) the use of plastic.”

The images show a clash between worlds, offering minimal and aesthetically pleasing compositions which, on closer inspection, in-still a sense of ecological grief.  Plastic Ocean questions consumption, idolatry and what it is we value in our lives today. The effect is a quirky, playful and pop art paradox. 

At a first glance, the debris do not disgust us. On the contrary. Their dainty look almost seems to gloss over the ugliness of all the plastic pollution on our beaches. But only for an instant. Our initial attraction, soon fades.

Plastic Ocean provides a kind of Vanitas for the 21st century. Traditional icons of mortality, ephemerality and wealth have been traded out for bottles, baskets and bowls: single-use items which are used and discarded, now only existing as empty vessels of destruction.

Our beaches are covered in plastic confetti and there really is nothing to celebrate.

In my response:

In one of my photo shoots, i aim to create a still- life, vanitas inspired shoot. Using objects such a plastic, nets, bottles, bottle lids, wrappers and anything that pollutes our oceans. I set up a photo shoot at home, and use the studio at school; i aim to experiment with different background, lighting, and angles.