Libertad, Cozumel, 2015

Faith47’s two haunting seaside murals in Cozumel, Mexico spotlight the impact of plastic pollution on nature.

The murals are part of Pangeaseed’s Sea Walls Murals for the Oceans public art project, which raises awareness about marine preservation.

“Before we started, Pangeaseed shared some disturbing statistics about how every piece of plastic that has ever been made stills exists in one form or another, because plastic is not a material that our planet can digest,” says Faith47. “For example, plastic accounts for 60-80% of marine garbage, reaching 95% in some areas. In the middle of the North Pacific, plastic outweighs algae six to one.”

These paintings reflect on the damage this does to birds, in particular. According to Pangeaseed, plastic is found in the stomachs of 43% of seabird species.