BEACH ZERO
ALFREDO BLASQUEZ

Photobook of the Year Nominee

FOLA 2018

ABOUT THIS BOOK

In a culture where consumerism is an essential part of our lives, we use and throw away disposable plastic products that are paradoxically made of indestructible materials, which do not disappear when we throw them away, but continue to exist as they decompose, fragment and transform. Only a small percentage is recovered, separated, recycled and reused, while a large part of our waste finds its way to the oceans, where it sails through the ocean currents until it runs aground on beaches and coasts around the world.

The objects that appear in the book were found and recovered on beaches in the Mexican Caribbean, Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, over a period of five years (2013 to 2017) in various projects related to campaigns and beach clean-up programmes, environmental education, scientific exploration, separation and recycling of materials, some of which were transformed into raw materials for fabric products and durable plastics. The book is made of recycled paper and the cover of a material that is the result of recycling waste from these beach collections.

This book plays with a contemporary archaeology, using debris from all over the world that the tides wash up on the beaches of Mexico. Everyday objects are transformed into abstract landscapes and textures, where their beauty contrasts with the reflection on the pollution of our planet. Found and recovered on the beaches of the Caribbean, Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, between 2013 and 2017 in various projects related to campaigns and beach clean-up programmes, environmental education, scientific exploration, separation and recycling of the materials, some of which were transformed into raw material for durable fabric and plastic products.

ALFREDO BLASQUEZ

Communicologist and photographer based in Mexico City. His professional work has been related to environmental issues, education and tourism. He has been editor and photographer of books, reports and publications on sustainability for companies and civil society organisations. As a photographer he has participated in 6 different solo exhibitions and 7 group exhibitions in Mexico and the United States. His book Playa Cero was selected as a finalist in the Book Dummy Award organised by La Fábrica and Photo London. In 2014 and 2015 he was selected winner by AI - AP Latin American Photography 3 and 4. He is currently an associate of Fundación Heel, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the recovery of plastics through campaigns and programmes benefiting coastal communities in Guerrero and Quintana Roo in Mexico. He is Director of Communications at the agency República de Todos, dedicated to providing consulting and communication services on sustainability issues.