In these macro photographs, salt crystals and single use plastics collaborate in refraction, creating spaces for reflection on the materials of our everyday lives.

These images use the tools of macro photography to create spaces for reflection on the materials of our lived environment. Salt crystals and disposable plastics, activated by polarized light, create dynamic color palettes that activate the imagination. The materials collaborate in refraction, creating shimmering constellations and uncanny, gravity-defying spaces. In our time, both salt and plastic are everywhere humans are, and most of the places where we are not. “Halophilic” is a word used to describe the elements of salt-dependent ecosystems. These materials have a complex relationship on a geological level, where salt formations are often indicators of petroleum in the earth. Human use of these materials becomes a part of their interconnected life cycles, which extend in time far beyond our control. Both materials have played essential parts in the medium of photography throughout its history, making it possible to see all countless things that we would never have experienced otherwise. A shift in perspective can lead us to more careful attention to things we would otherwise pass by.