Ever wonder how polarizing sunglasses work? Most light isn’t polarized, meaning its waves oscillate in every direction. Reflected light, on the other hand, tends to polarize horizontally. A vertically oriented polarizing filter acts like a microscopic fence, blocking those horizontal waves from passing. That’s how polarized lenses cut out glare.

Now… take a second polarizing lens and hold it at 90 degrees to the first and it blocks out all light. That’s why some screens go completely dark when viewed through polarized sunglasses.

Certain materials are good at twisting light waves- phenomenon called birefringence or double refraction. Plastic, crystal, gemstones, and liquid crystals, can re-bend polarized light, letting it through the second set of filters in strange, otherworldly colors.

The images below were created using this technique. Most of the objects photographed/filmed were destined for the trash- much of it plastic that could outlive humanity; Technofossils for future archaeologists to discover.