AMIR SHARIFF

IKAT TEPI

This series of photographs is about our society's obsession with single-use plastic, the ikat tepi. It could very well be the poster child for single-use plastic here in Malaysia. Amir’s series showcases them as they have been left, used, hanging, or “dead” on the ground. 

This isn't a photo series to knock on the ikat tepi way of life. It is too ingrained in the fabric of our society's street food culture as Malaysians. It is however, a reflection of our society's inability to be environmentally friendly, and how, because this method of having drinks-to-go is so cheap and convenient, that there currently isn't a better, more convenient, and especially more environmentally alternative. This single-use plastic way of life is here to stay for the indefinite future. 

Amir regularly shoots on the streets collecting snapshots of everyday life as they happen. These photographs were taken during his normal walks around town. You probably won't see these on the more tourist-friendly, cleaned up main streets of KL, but just look one street beyond, check the back alleys, and you'll see these plastic pieces everywhere in all their glory.

Hundreds of ikat tepi photos were taken for this series and these photographs here are a mere drop in the ocean of plastic that surrounds us. 

Amir hopes that by showcasing this epidemic within our society, we stop to think about it the next time we order an ikat tepi, and even more so, think about how we dispose of it.