Shaped by the ocean

It all began with a unconditioned love for our planet, and a 1969 picture of my Grandfather.

A person's hand holding a vintage photo of a man standing on a beach with umbrellas in the background, overlaid on a modern beach scene with people and waves.

My friends' reaction to my beach cleanup project was always the same: "Are you serious?" To them, picking up trash on the beach near my apartment seemed like an odd way to spend my free time—something most people wouldn't do even for pay. But for me, it's like reading a book filled with forgotten stories and memories. The variety of discarded items is astonishing: shoes, vacuums, wine bottles, and much more. This personal observation echoes a larger, alarming trend. As CNN reports, "More than 170 trillion plastic particles found in the ocean as pollution reaches ‘unprecedented’ levels.” Driven by a deep love for the planet, I couldn't simply stand by and watch the accumulating garbage. I began collecting the rubbish, cleaning over two kilometers of beach and removing 150 kilograms of trash in just a few weeks. I even documented my efforts, photographing interesting finds and recording everything with my action camera (a link to my YouTube channel can be found at the bottom of the page).

This project gained even greater significance when I came across a photograph from 1969. It shows my grandfather, Pietro, standing on the very same beach, bathed in August sunlight. The contrast is stark: a pristine white beach, clear blue water, and my grandfather wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Fifty-four years later, it feels like a different world. Now, for nine months of the year, the beach is essentially a dumping ground. During the three summer months, the local government invests heavily in cleaning it, ensuring tourists aren't greeted by mountains of trash. The water temperature rises each year, leading to more jellyfish and seaweed. The summer heat has also become unbearable; in July 2023, the average temperature reached 38 degrees Celsius.

Shaped by the ocean

"Shaped by the Ocean" explores the impact of ocean pollution by documenting the remarkable ways nature reshapes discarded objects. Through photography, I immortalize these transformed pieces of trash before removing them from the environment, revealing a strange kind of beauty in their altered forms. These images capture the unique imprint of time and the sea.

Shoe Sole
The Vacuum
The Broom
The Starbucks Cup
The Toothbrush
Ice Pack
A broken plastic fork partially buried in sand on a beach, surrounded by scattered pieces of driftwood and small debris.
A single black shoe lying on sandy ground with small pieces of wood and dried grass nearby.
The Inhaler

Many are the reasons why these pieces of trash are on the beach but each piece is unique in its own way… shaped by nature over the time….

The Straw
The Toothpaste
The Little Flip Flop
The Little Slipper
A broken purple plastic shovel lying on dark sandy ground with small rocks and debris.
The Legs
The Cigarette butts
Coca Cola

A single box of polystyrene, when it ends up in the sea and falls apart, can produce over a million microplastics, which then enter the food chains of fish and therefore also of humans.

The Polystyrene
The Sole
Septona baby
Great Taste Cap
HEINZ 57
The Invisible Bottle
A rusty, broken cane lying on sandy ground surrounded by small debris and twigs.
Ketchup
The Doll
The Brush

In the last ten years, we have produced more plastic products than in the previous century.

Kinder Surprise
The Shower
The Super Water Gun

Sooner or later, the sea gives us back everything we have throw away.

A blue plastic bottle lying among sand, dried seaweed, and small shells on the beach.
Ghost
Rusted Gilette Bottle
Pink Helmet
Copenhagen tobacco
BAR Lighter
The Wine Bottle
A worn and damaged sneaker lies on the sand. The sneaker has black, red, and white details and appears dirty and tattered.
An overturned red plastic toy lying on a dark sandy surface.
A broken black electrical plug lying on sandy beach with scattered dried seaweed and small twigs.
A discarded instant ramen cup with Japanese characters on a sandy beach next to a piece of driftwood.
A flip-flop brand bottle of Chick-fil-A sunscreen lying on a sandy beach with driftwood and scattered debris around it.
A discarded can of Splendor S2 lies on sandy ground among small rocks and twigs.
A red children's bicycle laying on a sandy beach among shells, driftwood, and debris, with most of the image in black and white except for the red bicycle.

I hope these photos show just how bad things are for our oceans, but also give people hope. If we all do our part—polluting less, making greener choices, recycling right, and just caring more about the planet—we can definitely make a difference and hopefully stop this from getting worse.

A light bulb lies on dark sandy ground, casting a shadow to the right.

Below you can watch the ongoing “Shaped by the ocean” YouTube series.