Different facets to explore for Subject matter
The main focus of this project will be food in relation to the city. How we, as a society, consumers and individuals can change the process and intrinsic value of food. Thereby creating a dynamic value in what we eat.
Finding Ugly Food
How Ugly Food relates to the issue of Food waste and Food security
Ugly food as a concept is something that I think most people would find frustrating. As it ties into a major issue that our current era has created, this being food waste. Of all issues in the Anthropocene, this one personally is the most [frustrating] as its counter-issue is food security. It is quite baffling how both of these issues can co-exist in this day and age. It must be mentioned that issues like these are a lot more complex with numerous working parts that must all be identified in order to resolve the whole issue.
When looking from start to finish of produce, there are many levels and layers that lead to inefficiency, I’ve linked a YouTube video about Australia’s Farmers responding to this.
How Does This Happen?
One Major aspect that leads to major food waste is when all the produce gets sorted and discarded. In this step, Manual workers and or machines shift through the produce that does not fit the conventionally attracted mould of produce. Unconventional appearances may include extra growths or oddly misshapen parts. These differences in appearance do not actually affect the edibility and quality of the produce. This leads to an overwhelming amount of perfectly good produce that gets wasted, solely due to appearances. This issue in itself is quite perplexing as its very
Consumers don’t typically like the appearance of misshapen food, therefore will not purchase ugly food. Since foods like that aren’t purchased often, companies install steps in the manufacturing stage to remove ugly food because of its inherent inefficiency. However, this conception of what attractive and unattractive produce stems from the marketing from the companies. So it’s easy to equate that in order to break out of this cycle, the consumers must create of proving demand for ugly food. All that being said, there are many reasons as to why humans are more inclined to conventionally attractive produce. Are we more inclined to produce that is identical and mass-produced? Furthermore, are we all just creatures of habit that are scared and repulsed by the hybridity of life? These are some interesting questions that I hope will be raised with the resolved work.
The Use of Materiality with Food
The use of wax as a material for this work would also allow for alternative interpretations and added complexity. As stated previously, the materiality and flexibility of wax have their own connotations and meaning which can be imposed onto the subject itself. Especially looking towards using babybel wax, a material which is used to preserve fresh produce in comparison to ugly food which is just left to rot with no agency. The imagery of an apple with an extra growth in it that is melting reminds me of the heated debate of the pros and cons of genetically modified food.
The Platform: a horror sci-fi movie with food security and greed at its core
A really interesting movie that tackles the issue of food security and greed is The Platform. It’s a Spanish social science-fiction horror film, directed by Galder Gaztelu Urrutia in 2019. The premise of the film is that participants are confined in a tower spanning hundreds of levels. Every 30 days residents are switched from their different floors at random. Residents are fed by a platform that is initially supplied with food at the top floor, it gradually descends down into each subsequent floor. It is stated that the platform of food contains enough food to feed all residents throughout the entire system. However, this system leads to conflict as the residents who inhabit the tops levels eat as much as they can whereas the lower levels only get leftovers.
Aside from being a relatively captivating horror movie with good thrills and horror, it is a really well-executed example of portraying a high-concept movie that involves complex allegories through food security. While this movie was more focused on using food as a means to communicate the greater idea of selfishness under capitalism, I intend for my resolved work to do the same but to hone into food security and perception of it.
!Counterpoints!
I think in all researching practices, it is really valuable to present contradictory opinions, in order to get a fuller picture. Thus it should be mentioned that this concept of ugly food being a way to complexity prevent Food waste should be questioned. After researching for a while I came across a Vox article titled A scientist on the myth of ugly produce and food waste. To summarise, Sarah Taber, an agricultural scientist, states that most of the supposed ‘wasted ugly food’ actually gets used in other food industry processes. Companies which offer services to just deliver ugly food under the guise of solving the food problem is quite disingenuous and another profit-oriented solution.
This scepticism as well also plays very well into my overarching theme. It draws all the way back to the appeal and absurdity of the babybel. Corporate oriented companies focus on niche market groups, to target new, untapped markets. It’s an interesting reaction to living in a city, a system that is filled with inefficiencies, with supposed solutions.
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