12 photographers capture the last hurrah of the plastic straw
Ordinary magazine is both self-explanatory and something of a red herring. Having had everything from plastic cutlery to air as its cover star, the basic premise of asking photographers to capture everyday objects (ordinary ones, if you will) is a jarringly simple one. The results, however, are startling for other reasons.
With the latest issue of the Amsterdam-based publication turning its gaze to the much-maligned and soon to be extinct subject of the plastic straw, Max Siedentopf and Yuki Kappes’ have neatly summarised exactly what their magazine is about.
A photographic compendium of banality, Ordinary is a reminder that to look through the right lens, or through someone else’s eyes, is to see a world entirely different from the one you’re used to. A testament to the hidden magic of the mundane.
With that in mind, we asked Yuki to select some stand-out images from Ordinary’s tribute to the straw. Weird, sinister, joyful and filled with childlike wonder, this is what Ordinary does best.
Philotheus Nisch
“Mmmmh…is this shiny slimy thing edible?”
“Mauricio Alejo has been part of every issue of Ordinary to date. I love the subtle, smart humour and satisfying composition you find in all his images. We’re big fans.”
Dexter Lander gave our straw a larger than life dimension we hope to see more often in real life.
Lorenzo Vitturi’s contribution is a perfect example how you can take a cheap and ordinary object like a plastic straw and turn it into something extra-ordinary which you might find exhibited at Tate Modern.
Thomas Albdorf’s contribution perfectly shows why we love collaborating with him. Thomas is able to place an ordinary object into and ordinary space, yet turn it into an intriguing aesthetically pleasing art piece.
Both images by Izumi Miyazaki are quite creepy in a way. The glowing alien-esque straws, and the pain you can inflict with our ordinary object.
Boris Camaca’s images are not only visually fresh, but challenge us to think a bit further. Here he turns the bad guy of single-use plastic into a reusable piece of normal cutlery, something more people should take as an example.
Allyssa Heuze just invented the ultimate way to drink an exotic fruit juice.
Happy Antje Peters could turn the ordinary Louis Vuitton slipper into something extra-ordinary with the help of plastic straws.
Viktor Naumovski finally showing us the actual purpose of plastic straws.
We just want to drown in Anton Shebetko’s bouquet of plastic straws, plastic eggs and plastic olives.
