For thousands of years, toys were crafted with natural materials such as wood, seeds, bones or stones. The incorporation of plastic, a synthetic material that has the capacity to be molded into infinite shapes, transformed their production. It is currently used in more than 90% of toys produced at an industrial level. If we consider the durability of plastic, all these toys, after a short period of useful life, continue to exist and end up like most of our waste in landfills, incinerated or abandoned in the environment. Some find their way to the ocean where they navigate through the marine currents and wash up on the world’s shores.
Between 2013 to 2019, Alfredo Blasquez recovered and recycled marine litter from Mexican beaches, facing the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Amid the rubbish and colorful pieces of plastic, the toys caught his attention. To him, they are archaeological objects from the Plastic Age. He photographed each new discovery, sharing them with his son Miguel who inspired this project.
Winner of the Photo|Frome Sustainability Honourable Mention, Open Book Call, Photo·Frome, UK. 2023.
Selected finalist in the Prix du Livre, Author Category, Rencontres d’Arles France, 2022.
Selected finalist in the International Photobook Award (FELIFA), Argentina, 2021.
Selected finalist in the Kassel Dummy Award, Germany, 2019.
Print Details:
- Size: 120 x 180 cm
- Print: Giclée Print
- Frame: Banak Venetian box, matte laminate, mounted on a 6-pole Trovicel and aluminum frame
Book Details:
- Book size: 22.5 x 17 cm
- Interiors: 132 pages
- Binding: Copper Wire
- Paper: 100% Recycled
- Languages: Spanish & English
Generously donated by Alfredo Blasquez
