The plastic waste from greenhouses around Almería — where much of the fruit and vegetables in European supermarkets originate — partly ends up in nature, forming bizarre, hybrid creations. The black or white plastics are sometimes entirely wrapped around the thorny bushes in a suffocating grip. The plastic originates from the greenhouses in the vast agricultural region surrounding the southern Spanish city of Almería. The melons and peppers, the courgettes and aubergines found in supermarkets all over Europe come from here as well. Local farmers can return the plastic for recycling — but they have to pay for it, and profit margins on their produce are tight. The bushes growing here in the arid semi-desert are all covered in thorns and spikes. It’s how they’ve adapted to the drought, how they defend themselves against being eaten. But against humans, they prove powerless. Their thorns now reveal their weakness, as plastic inevitably snags on them. Sometimes it looks as though a bush has tried to tear itself free — the plastic hangs in shreds. But it turns out to be impossible to escape this grip — the grip of humankind.

This series is part of The Plastic Sea, a book and exhibition set to be released at the end of this year. More information: www.theeuropeans.org

From the series: The Europeans - New Botanica
Print technique: Archival Pigment Print
Paper: Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
Size: Medium 86 x 71.5 cm
Edition: 5 + 1 AP
Mounting: Aluminum
Frame: Walnut / UV protective Art glass

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