My idea for the still life for 'The Object & The Body' unit is to show vegetarianism. In this work I want to include meat or animal bones to portray the theme of vegetarianism. I decided to research into the UK's consumption of meat to see how much meat is eaten, and to see what type of meat is eaten the most.
'82g The amount of protein the average Briton eats daily, of which 50g is meat, the equivalent of a chicken breast and lamb chop. The figure is relatively low for a developed country, but higher than developing nations and 25-50 per cent above the World Health Organisation recommendation.
500lb The amount of meat that is produced by the average cow.
1m tonnes The amount of beef we consume as a nation each year, along with 1.3 million tonnes of pork and bacon and 1.8 million tonnes of poultry.
456 million The amount, in tonnes, of global meat production forecast for 2050 - almost double that of 2001. Half of the world's pork is now eaten in China, while Brazil is the second largest consumer of beef, after the United States of America.
8 The number of beef cattle we eat over an average lifetime. We also consume 36 sheep, 36 pigs and 550 poultry birds. Britons' meat consumption is now 50 per cent higher than it was 40 years ago.
Between 1961 and 2002, meat consumption has seen a large increase virtually worldwide and a corresponding jump in its environmental impact. Links between meat consumption and climate change have been widely known for many years, partly due to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest to make room for the livestock. Clearing these forests is estimated to produce a staggering 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transport sector. Increased meat-eating has followed rising affluence in many parts of the world. China's levels doubled between 1990 and 2002. Back in 1961, the Chinese consumed a mere 3.6kg per person, while in 2002 they reached 52.4kg each; half of the world's pork is now consumed in China. The US and the UK are among the few countries whose meat consumption levels have remained relatively stable. Surprisingly, it is not the US with the largest consumption (124.8), but Denmark with a shocking 145.9kg per person in 2002.'
From the research I realised how much meat is actually consumed all over the world. I also learnt how killing animal for food is actually increased climate change as we are ruining the landscape by deforestation to make room for livestock. I found out that Denmark is the country with the largest consumption of meat, with 145.9kg per person (in 2009). This research has given me an idea to use meat in one of my photos to shock the audience and to show them what they're eating on a large scale.
I think you need to consider your approach carefully. ''Shocking the audience" - perhaps this may not be the best way.
ReplyDeleteYou need to consider who your work is for / aimed at... and what you want to say to them about eating meat.... do you want to speak of how its ruining the landscape? or want to speak of that its cruel to animals? These are things you need to think carefully about.