By Isle of Wight Observer
An exhibition highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on Island beaches has opened at Re, the phone box gallery in Lind Street, Ryde.
The display features work by Island fine art photographer, Zoë Barker, whose 100 Fragments project documents rubbish collected from Ryde beach.
Since August 2023, Zoë has been recording how long it takes to collect 100 pieces of litter, before arranging and photographing each collection on a black circular tray.
Each photograph is named after the time taken to gather the rubbish. Her fastest collection took just four minutes and six seconds, equivalent to finding one piece of litter every 2.46 seconds.
Zoë said: “There’s a striking contradiction between the collective beauty of these images and the reality that they represent.”
She added: “The images starkly illustrate the very real impact of uncontrolled consumerism. I hope they compel us to question our own patterns of consumption, and to reflect on what ultimately becomes the items we so readily discard.”
Zoë co-curates Re, alongside writer, Anmarie Bowler, with the gallery showcasing local artists six to eight times a year.