birgitmūller

This ongoing project seeks to shed a light on mass-produced food stacking up on supermarket shelves.

When I see processed food, manufactured and packaged as a convenient, quick snack, I see suffering and depletion behind the colourful labelling and clever advertising.
I see the conditions of the pigs, chickens, and cows raised inside industrial units, out of sight of most consumers. I see soil being ploughed, sprayed and fertilised using an array of chemicals and artificial fertiliser.

Stripped of its packaging and labelling, this project exposes the components behind the appetising images and persuasive captions, promising a satisfiable, fabulous feast or 'great sources of calcium'.

Photographed in a minimalist style, the technique emulates high-end product shots with the actual and metaphorical unpacking of processed food. It forces the gaze onto each component - naked, bare, unembellished.
The cleanly photographed items reveal the elements of manufacturing processed food.

To highlight the connection to the soil, each product is juxtaposed alongside the soil taking the shape of the packaging. These soil shapes create a link to how the land is treated, and processed even, to produce cheap convenient food.

Presented as a triptych suggests a connection between the packaging, its content and the land.