Still Life Shortlist

We’re surrounded by manmade materials that are very durable. Some of them we only use once, but even materials that we use for many years can lose small particles and become a source of micro plastic pollution. City dust, which accounts for 24% of micro plastics in the oceans, comes from a variety of sources.

Micro plastic particles and fibres originate from the abrasion of objects such as synthetic soles of footwear, clothes, car tyres, infrastructure and insulation materials, artificial turfs, packaging and other plastic materials that we use in our households.

Micro plastics have been found in the most remote areas of the Baltic Sea, as well as in drinking water, but the real extent and consequences of the problem are unknown.

Reinis Hofmanis is Latvia based artist and a practicing photographer. He has participated in exhibitions in Latvia,, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal, Iceland, Canada, Singapore and UAE. In 2012 he won the top prize at the international awards of architectural photography Archifoto, and in 2013 he was nominated the 2nd place in the architectural photography category at the Sony World Photography Awards. In 2018, he created a series of photographs for the Latvian pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.