BITE Insight

One of the more upsetting and provoking scenes of David Attenborough’s 2017 Blue Planet series came in the final episode, which was a rallying cry to the public to change their ways. The episode showed a mother pilot whale grieving for her dead calf as Attenborough’s voice over revealed the deadly effects that single use plastics are having on our oceans.

Daughter’s latest work with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) reflects situations like those depicted in Blue Planet to raise awareness of the problem that single-use plastics pose to marine life. The series of print ads asks people to Stop the Plastic Tide as MCS declare that we are using the great outdoors as a huge dustbin.

The visuals are shocking and confrontational, featuring a woman whose mouth is stuffed with plastic, a young girl with a straw up her nose and a man with a sheet of plastic wrapped tightly around his neck. These are situations in which we often see marine life suffering, as photos of turtles, seagulls and dolphins fill our newsfeeds.

Stop the Plastic Tide’s power comes from its replacement of those animals with human beings as it asks the question, would you care more if it was you?