Blackpool art exhibition: Expert marine photographer helped this UCLAN Student with plastic waste awareness project

Sam Wallis, 35, had been working on a series of environmental themed pictures that were designed to make people think about their impact on the natural world.

And he was thrilled when he started exchanging e-mails with a leading expert in marine photography.

Mandy Barker. worked with scientists to raise awareness of plastic floating around in our oceans.

Sam, who is currently studying for a Masters in Photography at UCLAN, said: “She is one of my biggest inspirations, and she offered me loads of advice while I was doing the project. I’d email her with ideas and she got back with advice. She helped me so much.”

Some of Sam’s work includes creative imagery that shows how toothbrushes, toys and similar goods break down into nanoplastics - tiny traces of plastic- that are now ending up in fruits and vegetables.

“It’s even been proven by scientists that plastic is being digested by plankton, which is at the bottom of the food chain, so that is evidence that everything that we are eating has trace elements of plastic.”

But Sam is aware of the irony. He said that the material is also useful and it’s not easy to remove from our lives altogether.

He owns every DVD by David Attenborough - which all come in plastic cases.

“These thoughts go through my head all the time, it’s about being aware of what plastic you need and where you can maybe cut down."

But his aim is to provoke questions without pointing the finger.

Sam, who used to work as a wedding photographer, said: “I’m not interested in telling anyone how to live, I just want people to think a little more about what they can do to reduce their plastic use and to find a balance.”

And his gallery of work also includes a series called Terrarum Exiguum - miniature landscapes and close-ups of plants forcing their way through the cracks in concrete.

“It’s a battle between nature and humans. When we start concreting over gardens, you see how a plant grows through the cracks and finds a way to fight back. The natural world is fighting back against urbanisation.”

Sam grew up in Blackpool and now lives with his wife, Lucie, in Carnforth. He owns a car but tries to limit use, and tries to take practical steps to help reduce his carbon footprint.

He added: “At uni they were pushing me to go out and explore using the car but I insisted on sticking to places I can get on foot, without starting the engine.”

His work is all printed on hemp paper.

Sam Wallis’ exhibition ‘Visually Exploring The Anthropocene’, opens this Thursday and there will be a launch event from 17:30 – 19:30.

It is free to view and runs from Sep 08 to Oct 19 at Hive Arts on Church Street, Blackpool.