A comprehensive catalogue of Mandy Barker's photographic works exposing the crisis of plastic pollution in the world's oceans. This in-depth survey features series made over the past ten years, released to coincide with solo exhibitions in 2019 and including works from INDEFINITE, SOUP, SHOAL, PENALTY, Hong Kong Soup:1826 and Beyond Drifting. Numerous reproductions from Mandy's sketchbooks offer a behind the scenes look into her thought process during project development.

Concerned with the effects of marine plastic debris, Barker’s photographic work has reached worldwide audiences through international exhibitions, educational outreach, media reports and other means. Her aim is to expand public awareness of the environmental crisis by using aesthetically attractive visuals to communicate evolving scientific research.

This publication is introduced by Professor Richard Thompson OBE, a renowned marine scientist and Director of the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute. His work has contributed to legislation on microbeads in cosmetics and other forms of plastic pollution.

Other texts include a foreword by Mandy Barker and an essay, Picturing Plastic Oceans, by Liz Wells, Professor in Photographic Culture at University of Plymouth. Barker also provides insight into the making of her images through an extensive survey of her personal process sketchbooks.

Her first photobook, Beyond Drifting: Imperfectly Known Animals was recognised by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the Top 10 of 2017, and received widespread attention for its subject matter and design.

Editing and design by Tiffany Jones