Discarded litter is being reimagined as art in a new photography exhibition taking place at Bassetlaw Museum.
Frank Tomlinson, an established photographer known for his fine art, commercial work and for a documentary body of work capturing the industrial North of England, has turned his lens towards an issue he could no longer ignore.
He has been collecting litter, photographing it, and transforming fragments into images that demand to be seen.
Frank Tomlinson said: “I came up with the concept of an exhibition after seeing the sheer volume of litter being strewn along the side the road. Out walking one day I spotted a can that had been run over so many time it was almost embedded in the tarmac. Taking it home and photographing it I became fascinated by the form it had taken.
“The exhibition is an attempt to raise awareness of the amount of rubbish being deposited in the lay-bys and adjacent woods, and highlight the damage being caused to the environment.”
Frank began this latest work following his shock over the growing amount of litter he was seeing and concerns about its environmental impact, so he decided to transform it into a form of documentation.
Kasia Wosiak, Collections Officer at Bassetlaw Museum said: “Frank Tomlinson’s exhibition is unlike anything we’ve shown before, and it challenges us, in the best possible way, to think about our relationship with the environment.
“His images are both unsettling and beautiful. By drawing attention to individual discarded objects, they deliver powerful reminders of the broader environmental challenges we face.”
The Litter Art photography exhibition runs until Saturday 18th July at Bassetlaw Museum, Grove Street, Retford. The Museum is open four days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between 10am and 4:45pm (Closed Mondays and Thursdays except during school holidays). Admission is free.
For more information on forthcoming events and exhibitions please visit www.bassetlawmuseum.org.uk or sign up to the Bassetlaw Museum newsletter Bit.ly/BassetlawNews. Please follow us on Facebook. We are supported by the Friends of Bassetlaw Museum, details of which can be found on our website.
Last Updated on Friday, May 29, 2026