Panic pollution ephemera / text, images and design by Mette-Sofie D. Ambeck (Ambeck Design).

"Is this a tabloid or a set of posters? The choice is yours. This work nearly had no title at all, as it represents an epoch we all recognise too well; a time filled with rules. So this has none. A time when we all got introduced to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). A time when, according to the American publication Environmental Science & Technology, an estimated 129 billion face masks per month were being used globally, and this is how many chose to dispose of them. The evidence here was randomly documented on walks between August 27th, 2020 and April 25th, 2022. There were in total 302 photos of the same subjects, from which this is only a selection. No manipulation took place; they were photographed as found. The majority of photos were taken in North London and a few others in Windermere and Ambleside (Cumbria), Aldershot (Hampshire) and Farnham (Surrey). Please dispose of this responsibly."--From back cover.

"It began with a panic to try and protect ourselves, and others, from each others breaths. Home-made masks were all we had to start with, as proper PPE was only for the professionals trying to save lives. As time passed PPE became more commonplace for all and, like newspapers once littered the city streets with yesterday's news, so masks became a new element of public littering. During months of predominantly staying at home, daily walks were much needed. I was taken aback by the amount of discarded masks and began documenting at random what I would see. This tabloid shows a photographic selection from those walks during the period of August 27th, 2020 - April 25th, 2022. I found it ironic that, before the pandemic, one of the hot topics was climate change caused by our own pollution. Then came Covid and pollution took a back seat for obvious reasons. It seemed like many had forgotten that PPE left behind is full of polypropylene plastic particles and will not decompose for up to 450 years. Unexpected historic evidence. Themes emerged as I looked at the final collection of images, 302 in total. These extend across more than one page and, as this tabloid is designed as a fluid visual experience - the double-spreads can be rearranged as the viewer sees fit. Everything reflects both individual and shared moments during a time of world-wide panic and grief. A tabloid or a set of posters? The viewer decides."--From artist's website.

[Farnham, UK] : Ambeck Design, 2023.

18 unnumbered pages : colour illustrations ; 38 cm

Edition of 100.

Published October 14th 2023.

Copy 1. Back page signed by the artist and numbered 5/100.