The Factory is an ongoing series that aim to showcase data and statistics related to the production of dairy milk interpreted thru still life. The artistic methodology behind this series is to illustrate a food-related agenda we consumers are experiencing while being paired up with a matching spatial environment as companions.  This series investigates the dairy milk industry by translating data and statistics about how much this commodity is produced, processed, consumed and wasted. To further illustrate this food issue, this series is shot on location at the UNESCO heritage site - The Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The background is chosen for its stunning and distinctive modernistic spatial interiors and its visual connection to a mass-production setting.

Photo 1,  The Boiler hall - indicates how much and what dairy milk is processed into in the Netherlands (55% into cheese, 16% processed food, 14% milk powder, 7% milk, 6% condensed milk and 2% as butter)

Photo 2, The Switchroom - indicates the global consumption of cheese (with EU leading at 9k metric tons followed by USA, Russia, Brazil, Mexico & Canada)

Photo 3, The Bridge - indicates the EU production of dairy milk  (with Germany leading at 35%, France 27%, the Netherlands 16%, Italy 13% and Spain/Ireland 8%)

Photo 4, The Tearoom - indicates the type of food waste in the Netherlands (Bread most wasted at 33%, dairy goods 23%, vegetables 17%, fruits 14% and potatoes at 13%)

Photo 5, The Cafe - indicates the global consumption of dairy milk (with India leading at 81k metric tons followed by EU, USA, China and Brazil)

All data are taken from the year 2019

The Factory

Breaking away from the traditional tabletop still life, the Greenhouse is a double triptych showcasing the construction of a new terrain. This approach flaunts with the notion of playful patterns, multiplied dimensions and a compulsory wit, resulting in refreshing examples of eccentric spatial visuals that speak more than it is revealing. 

This series spearheads the principle of supporting local entrepreneurs to advocate sustainability as much as possible.  It showcases our support to our local Rotterdam's restaurants favourite eats during COVID19's lockdown when businesses face forced closure and near bankruptcy. Pairing with the food items are products from local designers.  The location, Stadskwekerij De Kas, (The city greenhouse) is a self-sustained community greenhouse run by a small team of dedicated green thinkers. 

The Greenhouse

Brexit has surprised us many. Countless daunting and irrational development that doesn’t seem to add up, especially on the dining table. For a sweet tooth union liked the UK, the reliance list on their neighbours’ supplies for its scarcity is lengthy. More than half of the UK’s consumption of summer soft fruits are imported. Of which a loyal stockpile is purchased from The Netherlands. With the introduction of Brexit, these short shelf lives berries’ journey across the Channel from the lowlands has become complicated. While pre-Brexit custom-free mobility proves effortless and straightforward, the freshness and short shelf life of such summer fruits are now challenged by newly introduced paperwork, trucks filed in confused beelines at Calais and the eventual inflating prices raiding consumers’ wallets. It is sadly an act to jeopardize a country’s needs and food culture.

The Gentlemen’s House is an artistic attempt to illustrate a food-related agenda we consumers are experiencing, paired up with a matching spatial environment as companions. In this series, portray as the domestic backdrop, the visuals are captured in the handsome modernistic manor house, Huis van Ravesteyn, in Utrecht, The Netherlands. I intervened ‘The Gentlemen’s House’ with an open explorer’s mind, by inserting the narrative of Brexit’s repercussions while highlighting the articulated features of the house.

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