Mandy Barker’s camera zooms in on the plastic and pollution in our seas

‘Shelf-Life’ by UK-based photographer Mandy Barker, features plastic litter collected from Henderson Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the South Pacific Ocean. It captures turtles weaving their way around a ton of plastic to get out to sea; birds removing plastic from their nest; and the littering of endemic flora with plastic bottles and single-use items at one of the most isolated and uninhabited places in the world. Plastic litter from 25 countries, comprising 45 recognisable brands and logos, had travelled more than 5,000 kilometres to reach the shores of Henderson Island.

Shelf Life is one of the 40 photographs exhibited at Barker’s first solo show in India — Invasion of the Seas — at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Panaji, which opened on December 8. “It was truly shocking,” recalls Barker, 57, who accompanied scientists on their voyage to Henderson Island in 2019. “It was my personal experience of finding plastic on my local shoreline that first disturbed me,” reveals Barker who grew up in Hull, a port on the East coast of England. As a child, she used to collect natural objects like stones and driftwood while walking on the beach. But, as time passed by she saw more man-made waste.

Barker has been part of many scientific expeditions as she is invited to document the plastic waste found in remote locations. She believes that her photos help to speak about the issue and also reflect scientific research. “The work of an artist and a scientist are opposed in approach, but in some way are seeking to achieve the same outcome,” she says. “My work can help give science a ‘visual voice’ whilst hopefully connecting with the viewer’s social conscience.”

Over the last decade, she has accompanied many scientists to the remotest regions, from the Pacific to Japan. However, for her, the journey to Henderson Island was one of the toughest, as they travelled for seven days to get there — climbing coral cliffs, carrying heavy equipment in waist-high seawater, trekking through the jungle, and sleeping in a cave. The litter then collected, be it fishing buoys, footballs, and various other plastic objects, have now been used in her photographs to make a larger comment on marine plastic pollution.

Meanwhile in Goa

Plastic pollution is a real issue in Goa where this exhibition is being held, right in the middle of peak tourist season. According to a 2017 report by Kochi-based Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Goa’s 100-odd kilometre coastline generates 41 kilograms of beach litter per head, which is the highest in the country. Every square meter of beach sand contains 25.5 g of plastic waste.

Having studied Goa’s coast for almost a decade, Puja Mitra of conservation enterprise Terra Conscious takes stock of the situation. “In Goa, beach cleaning doesn’t extend to river mouth areas. A shack or small hotel is not connected to suppliers to replace their single-use plastic,” she says. “The State government has not instituted a reward to recognise businesses that have taken eco-conscious steps. Due to the scale of the problem along with individual action, we need structured intervention as well.”

Art made out of beach debris by Tamsin Noronha