Presented here is a concept for an installation that devel-
oped from a body of academic research I completed about
food deserts in the United States. Coming upon the quote
by philosopher Harald Lemke which inaugurated this docu-
ment, “The truth is that the future of humanity depends on
nothing else as crucial as on the infinity of food,” brought
me to contemplate the perception of an infinity of food ex-
perienced by middle and upper class Americans. This instal-
lation is a humble commentary of a vastly complex issue.
It was intended to be fully constructed and to be the only
piece of this thesis.
However, the emergence of COVID-19
closed university buildings and restricted access to studios.
Therefore, for now, it exists only as a concept and computer
model. Since the piece is meant to confront issues of food
inaccessibility, I felt it was not appropriate to continue de-
veloping it during a time when grocery stores have become
points of stress and food restrictions a reality for a much
wider demographic of people. Hence, the images and pro-
cess shown here are a representation of the work complet-
ed up until the middle of March. I have taken this time to
develop a complimentary project and keep myself up to date
on ways in which this pandemic has revealed not previously
known flaws in our global food system.
SKETCHES
COLLECTED IMAGES
Be-Lo Market
Norfolk, Virginia
King Kullen
Long Island, NY
Shop ‘N’ Save
W. Mifflin, PA
Screenshots from various food processing Youtube videos
RHINO MODEL
CONSTRUCTION
For ease of fabricating, the skele- ton of the installation is construct- ed with readily available 8'x4' MDF sheets and pinewood 2"x4"s. The mirrors would be large sheets of glassless mirrors (which are com- monly used for performances and trade shows) that are attached to the side walls via two rows of heavy duty z-bars. The method of construction is based off of that of theatre set flats.
FINAL RENDERINGS
Structure
Illusion
I wish that the circumstances could have been different and that this project did not exist only digitally. I intended the form and the construction to be simple, because the illusion was to hold the center stage. But on a computer screen the illusion is lost. I wanted the viewer to grapple with multiple sensory inputs, visual, olfactory, maybe even evoke memo- ries of taste. My rendering skills in combination with the digital pixels of your screen simply do not have the same power. I hope however, that having the chance to read my research and intentions and look at my source images gives this work a different kind of dimension that would have been hardly possible in a studio critique and gallery setting.
You can read more about this project, the research, and development on pages 30-53 of my bachelor thesis book, Empathies of Consumption.