During the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025, Seas At Risk collaborated with Art of Change 21 to bring science and art to the global ocean governance stage with a selection of photographs by critically-acclaimed British photographer and artist Mandy Barker from her series Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections. This innovative blend of scientific sample-collecting and creative expression brought a unique and unexpected element to a global audience of ocean-minded individuals. The works were exhibited at X, Y, Z to an estimated X people who flocked to France from around the world.

Learn more about Mandy Barker and her works.

Learn more about Art of Change’s approach to art and ecology.

See photos from the exhibition here.

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Mandy Barker (b. 1964)

Selection from Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections

2025, cyanotype photographic prints, reproduction

Many seek solace in the solitude, purity, and calm of the ocean. You, reader, may seek it in the margins of this very United Nations Ocean Conference, on the shores of Nice, France. But what happens when even the most pristine coastal havens bear the marks of human negligence? 

In 2012, award-winning British photographer Mandy Barker discovered a piece of material in a rock pool, at first glance indistinguishable from seaweed or algae. Upon closer inspection, she identified the material as a scrap of degraded synthetic clothing. This revelation marked the start of a decade-long project, recovering synthetic clothing from around Britain’s coastline. 

Over ten years, Barker recovered 202 pieces of clothing and garment scraps from 121 British beaches. Taking inspiration from the cyanotypes of British algae by the Victorian botanist and photographer Anna Atkins (1799-1871), Barker utilised the same photographic method and the same type of paper to produce images of the synthetic fibres she found on the coast. Each of her ‘specimens’ mimics various species of marine algae, illustrating an increasing problem of the overconsumption and misdesign of synthetic clothing and fast fashion. This growing industry is responsible for widespread ecological havoc, from climate change to hazardous microplastic pollution found in nearly all natural environments. 

Just as Barker combined scientific data collection and documentation with awareness-raising and visual expression, Seas At Risk (Belgium), a network of marine conservation associations, sought the collaboration of Art of Change 21 (France) to use contemporary art to send a message to global decision-makers. In these six carefully selected works, the viewer encounters a myriad of synthetic fibres, threads, and garment scraps, impostors in fragile marine ecosystems. We ask: Does our clothing belong in the sea?

In a conference of panels, presentations, and networking, world leaders can use this rare moment to engage with the ocean through art, but we challenge them to go a step further: rethink garment design policy, challenge overconsumption, push for producer responsibility, and help design pollution out of the picture.

Posted on: 3 June 2025