The Feast and Famine exhibition at the Hahne & Co building touches on a diverse array of topics. The theme that stuck out to me the most was the reality that, even in the year 2019, there are many people in the world that deal with food insecurity. We think that with all of the knowledge and technology we possess that enough food is produced to feed all of Earth's population. Yet, this is far from the truth. From the over consumption of food by those who have the access and ability to obtain it, to the massive amount of food that is thrown out everyday, and the dwindling bee population, food insecurity is still a large issue that millions of people experience. It is not so different from the hunters, gatherers, and harvesters who existed hundreds of year ago. Similar to them, some people have to scrape, claw, and work hard just to get enough food to keep themselves alive. In this post, we will look at a few works that delve into these issues.
Mike Libby's "You are My Sunshine" (below) is a sleekly designed piece that has a darker overall message of the potential future state of food consumption. Bees are the number one pollinator of plants and crops on the planet. That is to say, they are vital to the overall amount of food humans are able to produce. Despite their vast importance, the bee population is rapidly declining. Libby's bee design is what we could potentially see in the not-so-distant future. A man-made pollinator of crops. It is so relevant to the topic of food insecurity, because if the world's main pollinator were to go extinct, how many more people would not be able to get the food they need? Would anyone at all?
Mike Libby, You are My Sunshine, 2019.
Chris Thorson's "Of Wrath" (below) are beautifully crafted models of sprouting potatoes. With there unseemly sprouting's, dull colors, and dry/cracked appearance, they are not the picturesque image of what our society deems as edible produce. These can represent many things in the realm of food insecurity. The one that stands out to me is the sheer amount of food waste America produces as a whole. Despite the fact these potatoes are still edible, at a supermarket they would be immediately thrown out and deemed as "rotten". We as consumers only want produce that looks perfect. Even the slightest defect can result in perfectly good food being thrown away. As Americans, we take for granted the ability to have that choice of what to eat, where as the citizens of other countries could only wish they had any kind of food. This piece shows us that while they may not be pretty, food like this can, and should be, eaten.
Chris Thorson, Of Wrath, 2015.
Pieter Bruegel traveled across the world and saw many things. One of those many things he observed is how different societies lived and survived. In "The Return of the Hunters" (below) we see a group of people returning from an unsuccessful hunt in the frigid winter mountains. The mood seems somber, reflecting the harsh, unforgiving winters that these people experienced. This piece reminded me of the Feast and Famine exhibition because the struggle to find the necessary food needed to survive has always existed. Yet, it is also different because we have the ability to go beyond these limitations. If we were to be more conscious of how much we consume and waste, less people would have to struggle like the hunters in the cold winter.
Lastly, but similarly to the Return of the Hunters, we have Pieter Bruegel's "The Harvesters" (below). This piece shows off the hard work that it took to create the food eaten by those in the 16th century. Harvesters worked countless hours, in multiple shifts, to harvest the necessary crops. The mood is much brighter in both color and tone compared to the aforementioned Bruegel work. Perhaps, this is due to the abundancy of food the harvesters are experiencing compared to the hunters. The state of food security could be what affects the overall mood in both works. I believe this relates to the Feast and Famine exhibition because it can show how food security can affect our entire lives and by taking it for granted we could affect those who don't have the same access.
Pieter Bruegel, The Harvesters, 1565
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