Overlapse is thrilled to announce the upcoming publication of Beyond Drifting: Imperfectly Known Animals by UK-based photographer Mandy Barker. Publication is scheduled for 1st May, in time for Mandy’s exhibition of works from the book at the V&A in London, which runs 5-28 May 2017. She is shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Pictet award and exhibits with 11 other shortlisted artists on the theme of SPACE – See full details about the exhibition
Inspired by the pioneering plankton discoveries made by naturalist JV Thompson in Cork Harbour during the 1800s, Mandy collected marine plastic debris from the same location along the southern coast of Ireland. These objects of human-generated waste became the subject of mysteriously beautiful photographs – or microscopic samples – that appear in Beyond Drifting. In all of her work, Mandy’s aim is to combine the contradiction of aesthetic attraction with a message of environmental awareness.
Spread from Mandy Barker’s research notebook during the making of Beyond Drifting
In the course of research and development of her projects Mandy consistently keeps sketchbooks to record her findings and to reflect on ways to photograph and present her work.
She says, “The impact of oceanic waste is an area I am committed to pursuing through visual interpretation and in collaboration with science, hoping it will ultimately lead to positive action in tackling this increasing environmental problem which is of current global concern.”
See Beyond Drifting: Imperfectly Known Animals for more details and a preview!