Plastic Ocean brings together Thirza Schaap’s photographs of sculptures made from plastic collected on the beaches of Cape Town. Bottles, fragments of packaging and other discarded objects become carefully balanced compositions. Their faded colours and worn surfaces draw the eye before revealing the waste behind the image, inviting reflection on our use of plastic and its presence in the natural world.

Schaap works with the materials she finds, allowing their shapes, textures and imperfections to guide each sculpture. Photography adds another layer: strong sunlight makes shadows part of the composition, while dim light and long exposures create a different atmosphere. The images move between beauty and discomfort, encouraging the viewer to look again.

For the book, Bastiaan Woudt and Janneke Schrey shaped the photographs into a sequence built around recurring forms, colours and textures. Individual sculptures become part of a continuous visual story. Published by 1605 Collective, this 96-page hardcover includes a foreword by Lidewij Edelkoort.