‘Plastic Passages’ aims to explore and narrate the story of plastic pollution recognised as one of the most significant threats to global marine biodiversity, and an issue greatly affecting the coastal community.
The collaboration is a central part of ‘Follow The Water,’ Emerging Islands' ridge-to-reef creative mapping of the waterways of La Union, Philippines. To connect global and local experiences on the problem of plastic, the Emerging Islands' community participates in UK-based photographer Mandy Barker’s creative process in three stages:
- research and materials gathering with the community to inform Mandy Barker’s remote expedition into Philippine waters.
- a plastics photography workshop facilitated by Emerging Islands and Filipino photographer Hannah Reyes Morales for an environmental youth organisation.
- collaborative production of new work by Mandy Barker and Hannah Reyes Morales.
This project also establishes a framework that can be employed by other coastal communities. It endeavours to engage the plastic problem holistically, by allowing local perspectives to shape a global conversation and by fostering inter-community exchange through art.
