Artist Thirza Schaap Creates Beachcombed Sculptures Out of Plastic Ocean Trash – Design You Trust

Artist Thirza Schaap Creates Beachcombed Sculptures Out of Plastic Ocean Trash

For the past five years, Thirza Schaap has been creating delicate sculptures out of plastic debris from beaches on the South African coastline. The artist, who divides her time between Cape Town and Amsterdam, has named the project Plastic Ocean.

More: Plastic Ocean, Instagram

Plastic Ocean combines sculpture with photography and examines our changing relationship with plastics and the increasing and overwhelming presence they have in our lives.

The images show a clash between worlds, offering minimal and aesthetically pleasing compositions which, on closer inspection, in-still a sense of ecological grief. Plastic Ocean questions consumption, idolatry and what it is we value in our lives today. The effect is a quirky, playful and pop art paradox.

At a first glance, the debris do not disgust us. On the contrary. Their dainty look almost seems to gloss over the ugliness of all the plastic pollution on our beaches. But only for an instant. Our initial attraction, soon fades.

Plastic Ocean provides a kind of Vanitas for the 21st century. Traditional icons of mortality, ephemerality and wealth have been traded out for bottles, baskets and bowls: single-use items which are used and discarded, now only existing as empty vessels of destruction.

“The objects are disgusting and ugly in a way, but sometimes they could also look pretty,” she says, “because of the time they’ve been in the ocean, with colours faded by the sun.”















If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Design You Trust Facebook page. You won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Artist Wendy Tsao Transforms Kids Drawings Into Adorable Plush Toys
Aerial Photographer Created A Miniature Utopian Village And It Took Him 2 Years To Finish
Artist Immortalizes Gene Wilder With Willy Wonka Candy Portrait
Artist Turns Neglected Arkansas House Into A Colorful Art Installation
Frida Kahlo Infiltrates The Snapchat Generation With A New Set Of Emoji
French Artists And Nike Have Redesigned The Paris Duperré Basketball Court
Couple Made Tiny Baby Yoda Hard Boiled Eggs For A Party
This $5,900 Desk Let’s You Work On Your Computer Lying Down
Artist Creates Dreamy Installations and Sculptures Made From Secondhand Books
Sisters Are Taking Makeup To The Next Level And Here Are Their 30 Mind-Blowing Transformations
"Choose Your Retro Haircut!": Hair Style Selections From The 1950s-1980s
Ib Kamara: The Cross-Cultural Stylist Reassessing Masculinity
Artist Shapes Old Cutlery Into Magnificent Metal Sculptures Of Animals
Pandemic Inspires Artist to Turn Artificial Fingernails Into Stunning Works of Art
Mini Glacier Candles Remind You Of Global Warming As They Melt
Artist Creates Segmented Glass Sculptures Inspired By The Cell Division
LEGO – The Patent Of The Brick That Revolutionized The World Of Toys
This Artist Makes Bizarre Denture-Inspired Jewelry
"One Ocean One Breath" Project
9 Artists Teamed Up To Create Art And Raise Money For Non-Profit Organizations In Hopes Of Raising Awareness Of Important Issues Our Planet Is Facing
Fantastic Creepy Driftwood Dragon Sculptures By James Doran
This Artist Creates Beautiful Figures Of Olympic Athletes Out Of Layered Paper
Street Artist Built A Wall Around Donald Trump’s Hollywood Star
Food Styling Lettering By Panco Sassano