While bubble wrap is amazing for protecting fragile objects, it also creates unique distorted visuals. All the layers and shades hide the real object behind it, but we can still identify what’s inside. Through this interplay of transparency and distortion, Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist Rosie Clements uses bubble wrap as a surface for her photographs in her recent project Pure Semblance.

In her university’s print lab, Clements explored the possibilities of a Roland UV printer. While experimenting with this tool on many surfaces, bubble wrap stood out among her trials. She tried printing photographs on various unconventional materials including polystyrene/popcorn ceiling tiles, fake fur, and rocks, according to It’s Nice That, but the unique properties of bubble wrap offered something special.

After trying bubble wrap, Clements was thrilled by the results and began experimenting with it extensively. The natural texture of bubble wrap is not smooth but cozy, sacrificing details while adding a new layer of dimensional complexity. In this way, Pure Semblance delivers an eerie yet impressive impact, transforming conventional photographs into something new.

The photographs do not make much sense in close-up because every tiny bubble has meaning only when viewed together. In some ways, it could be seen as real-life pixel art, though with an organic twist. Pixels can have more curved shapes because they’re not on OLED screens, creating a unique analog interpretation of digital imagery.

Check out Rosie Clements’ website and Instagram profile.

Rosie Clements explains Pure Semblance as; “Pure Semblance features UV printed photographs on bubble wrap (plus two pixelated inkjet-printed photographs). Often discarded after a single use, bubble wrap mirrors the fleeting nature of digital pictures that are easily shared and forgotten in our fast-paced, media-saturated world. The bubbles call to mind the pixels that comprise digital imagery, connecting the physicality of the material to its virtual counterpart, and emphasizing the delicate, temporary nature of both. These pieces demand the viewer spend more time with them—some are only legible from the right angle or distance, and up close are almost completely abstracted. Pure Semblance invites the viewer to reconsider the way they interact with images, and emphasizes the importance of texture and materiality in an era dominated by the intangible digital realm.”