Plastic and the Sea

My name is Natalie Karpushenko and I am fascinated by nature. Water is my favorite element - and I have spent countless hours underwater, trying to capture the beauty and the power of it. In waster, I am a natural - for the past several years I am traveling to the most beautiful destinations and capturing the biggest mammals on planet Earth - whales. Swimming with whales is an experience that definitely changed my life and allowed me to take another perspective on the environment. I became more aware and conscious. And the more I traveled to the beaches - the more plastic I saw on the shore. The more pollution I saw. And the problem just keeps getting bigger.

If people don't care enough how plastic affects animals in the sea - I decided to demonstrate the effect on people. I purchased a piece of plastic that I carry with me everywhere I go, and I ask my models to get under water and try to swim with it. Naked, just like animals would be in wild nature. Every model that experienced the effect that plastic can have on you underwater - choking, restraining, frightening - showed that it did change their perspective on conscious use of plastic. I hope that this project, a projection of the effect of plastic pollution on animals will make people more cautious about the amount of plastic they use of the regular.