This is the constantly metamorphosing work of Michel Blazy, a French artist who "works solely with living things to explore the very basic physical aspects of our existence - time, space and body." (artwelove.com)
I saw this exhibition at the Palais De Tokyo in Paris, years ago, and there were live birds flying around the gallery and nesting in this rice-noodle-tree (pictured below). Incredibly inspiring stuff!
Post your weekly statement below in response to lecture material from 9/29 or 10/4.
Elaine Czech
ReplyDelete21 September 2010
ARTDES 250: SEC 4
As someone who does not like coffee I cannot say I understand the hype about its consumption. Still 500 billion cups of the stuff are served worldwide each year. There are roughly 107 million coffee drinkers in the United States alone. And apparently the average coffee consumer in the U.S. has three and a half cups a day (Frontline World 2003). That’s a lot of coffee. So. Where does all this coffee come from?
Not from anywhere in the United States that’s for sure. Coffee only grows in regions with moderate sunshine and rain with average temperatures around 70°F. Limiting coffee production to countries south of the Equator. Thus the largest coffee producing countries in the world are Brazil and Columbia. To me all of this coffee information means very little, but it was coffee that got the fair trade movement really rolling (Chamberlain 1999).
Fair trade allows the creation of long-term agreements between buyers and farmers. These long-term agreements set minimum buying prices and also cause standards to be established. Standards that are established on Fair Trade farms include: creating a safe working environment, prohibiting child labor, and living wages. Most Fair Trade besides being socially ethical is also environmentally friendly. Harmful agrochemicals and GMO’s are prohibited by Fair Trade licensors. This causes farmers to use environmentally sustainable methods when growing their crops. Also with some crops biodiversity is maintained since the biodiversity aids in crop growth (TransFair 2010).
To become Fair Trade manufacturers and importers have to meet the guidelines and be approved by a third party group such as, TransFair USA. Even after receiving a Fair Trade license companies will still be continually audited to make sure they are keeping up to standard (TransFair 2010).
I guess in a way fair trade makes coffee a little sweeter. Still... I think I will pass.
Works Cited
Chamberlain, Ted. Coffee. 1999. 30 September 2010
Frontline World. History of Coffee. 22 May 2003. 30 September 2010
TransFair. Fair Trade USA. 30 September 2010
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ReplyDeleteI thought this weeks lectures were very interesting. I couldn't believe price difference in what people pay in America for coffee as opposed to the people that produce it themselves-it was ridiculous. I also found the discussion on Franken fish to be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there are increasing numbers of organisms that scientists have genetically engineered to be bigger and better. A lot of people don't agree with this which makes me question why these numbers keep rising. The more artificial a food is, the less attractive it becomes to most people-it is so fake, and well, engineered.Why should people trust something engineered? If it were meant to be bigger and better it most likely would get that way on its own without the help of scientists. I suppose it just brings up the whole question of ethics. Is it right to genetically modify something without much reason or need? Probably not which is where the controversy usually sets in.
Melis Agabigum
ReplyDeleteADPIII-004
10.01.10
Week 2 Response
As a topic for an ADP II paper last year, I wrote about coffee and its long, bloody history. Hearing Joe talk about coffee and how it is affecting the environment in this day and age, honestly was just the tip of the iceberg. Since the discovery and distribution of coffee throughout the Ottoman Empire, the environment, farmers and works have been severely mistreated and taken advantage of. In the film Black Coffee, the treatment and working conditions of plantation workers is discussed.
Coffee has always been a symbol of status in the West and has caused an enormous amount of unrest within the different ranks found in society. It baffles me at how much Coffee can cost in America, all because it is processed and shipped to places that have well known names such as Starbucks and Seattle’s Best. Coffee clearly is of a different monetary value in America compared to other places in the world, and because of this, we are able to over price coffee and underpay the countries exporting it into our hands.
I was fascinated by the complications we are facing environmentally, through our consumption and farming of sea life. I have been listening to NPR and hearing all about the Frankenfish and the problems that it is now causing salmon fishers, but hearing about it in lecture and actually getting to see what the fish looks like was amazing. The list of fish that are safe to eat was also very informative. It helped me realize just how much we can ruin the habitats of certain animals, through our greed and selfish ways. The farming of fish needs to be controlled better and we need to find ways to protect the plants and animals found in our lakes and oceans.
Kellyn Carpenter
ReplyDeleteADP III-004
The discussion in lecture this week about coffee fascinated me, particularly how different each culture views coffee. In America, coffee is a staple of the average person’s morning. Starbucks has been imbedded into the minds of every American citizen, where droves of people will filter into this institution to shell out $3.00 and more of a coffee of specially brewed cup of foreign coffee. In countries where the coffee is farmed, a cup of joe can be as little as $0.25. There, the people do not care what label is on the outside of their disposable coffee cup. Coffee has become so overly mass-produced and the prices have become so low that farmers are struggling to keep up with this growing demand. With this, more and more forests have had to be cut down to accommodate the expanding coffee farms.
Fish farming has also spun out of control. Fish species like salmon have been genetically modified to create super-sized fish, called “Frankenfish.” These farmed fish compete and beat out the natural fish species, decreasing the number of wild fish in the waters surrounding these farms. Fish species have been rapidly decreasing and changing. The swordfish use to be at least 12 feet long. Today, the swordfish is only 5 feet. As well, there are only 12% of the global sharks left in the world.
After these lectures, I feel a strengthened need to purchase fair trade coffee and other items and local fish. Now that I am more educated on the types of fish to buy, farmed and wild, I need to practice this when buying fish and when going to restaurants. I need to educate myself on the stores and restaurants that serve these fair trade and well produced products. I hope that more people will educate themselves on these issues.
I thought that the lectures this week were very interesting, especially the one about coffee. I guess I am just an ignorant consumer; Even thought I have coffee just about every day ,I had no idea that coffee beans were the seeds of a berry, or were originally grown in the shade. I also didn’t know that many companies had phony in house certifications. However, I was aware of the abuse of growing coffee to the environment as well as the mistreatment of the growers. I don’t think there is justification for the abuse of land for coffee. Coffee is a commodity, and although is a staple of most American breakfasts, is not an essential part of our diets. In my opinion, some industrial scale farming is ethical, because food is an essential component of subsistence, and it is not possible for small family owned farms to sustain the entire population. But, since coffee is not essential, the misuse of the land is not as justified.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to be an informed consumer. It is hard to be advocate of environmentally friendly coffee when one’s pocketbook is involved. What is in one’s economic best interest and what is in the best interest of the environment are usually opposite. I don’t think anyone would relish paying $10.00 for a cup of coffee. I believe that this class could benefit from looking at technology and the environment though an economic perspective as well. The aim of the course is to learn about how technology and the environment affect your work as an artist, but business and economy are important factors of technology and the environment which are being overlooked. The environmental issues being discussed are prevalent, but the way in which they are presented feels a little indoctrinating. Although art and design will greatly be influenced by the environment in coming years, I don’t feel it necessary as an artist to share the opinions expressed about the environment in the course.
Though I found the lecture on coffee to be informative and interesting, I was more interested in genetically engineered salmon, or as Professor Trumpey called them, "Franken-fish", because I eat a lot of fish (and sushi).
ReplyDeleteAlthough the FDA approved of these Franken-fish, I have found that they have also approved of other controversial items, such as the weight-loss pill, Alli, though there were some cases of colon cancer after taking the pill.
In any case, the Franken-fish grows faster than regular unaltered salmon, which means more food and more money for people who raise these Franken-fish. According to Yahoo! News, the Franken-fish has not been eaten before, but experts say that it could include allergens, since seafood itself is extremely allergenic. I think that since it was so recently developed, no one really knows the long-term effects yet, so it should be tested for a long period of time before being approved. If we release it now, it would mix with the unaltered fish, and no one knows what the effect of that will be, and it could be very dangerous for the population of the unaltered fish.
If we start eating genetically altered salmon, eventually, most of our food will be genetically altered too, since it would be stronger and bigger. However, I'm a bit reluctant, to say the least, to eat food that has been injected with some kind of chemical or hormone. I would prefer eating the natural stuff, even if it means it will be smaller or not available sometimes.
Work Cited:
Alli linked to colon cancer. 2008. http://blog.proactol.com/2009/healthcare-news/alli-and-colon-cancer/
Fish or Frankenfish? FDA weighs altered salmon. Mary Claire Jalonick. 2010 September 20. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100920/ap_on_bi_ge/us_modified_salmon
There is something horrifying about strawberries in January. It isn’t that fruit so out of season is strange, or that the strawberries taste like cardboard, but that we think its okay to ship food halfway across the globe. We don’t need strawberries in January, and if you just have to have them, why not freeze some Michigan strawberries when they are in season, and then thaw them when you have the strawberry craving.
ReplyDeleteI think the most startling thing about lecture this week was how normal getting whatever you want whenever you want has become. We, as a society, have become so selfish and self centered that we demand food that is out of season at the strangest times and food that is not only hard to produce, but bad for the environment. Wouldn’t strawberries be that mush sweeter if you knew that you only could enjoy them at a certain time every year? No one wants apple cider in June. When you can finally have that crisp, tasty apple cider in October, doesn’t it make it that much better? I know I look forward to fall for that very reason.
I think if we made a conscious effort to eat more in season, not only would we help decrease the impact on the environment, but also we would enjoy the food of that season even more. We grow so many delicious fruits and vegetables in Michigan all year round, that it seems silly to get apples from New Zealand just because you want one in March.
Also, it was nice to see that some companies and individuals care enough to design nets and fishing procedures that reduce the impact on the environment, and help the sea turtles and dolphins.
Fresh water is something that I have always taken for granted. When it flows so easily from the faucets in my home, I have become accustomed to my water source and trust that it will always be available. It’s hard for me to understand that our water is some of the best water in the world when it is something that has always been accessible to me. It makes me realize how pointless bottled water is. How all we need to do is turn on the tap for clean, pure, drinkable water. There are people all over the world that do not have that luxury and probably do need bottled water, yet we are the ones that continue to buy it. The production of plastic and transportation of these bottles is such a waste of resources, energy, and money for the consumer. Why do people pay for water when it flows through our sinks at such a low cost? And it’s not even more accessible and convenient to use bottled water. Especially in newer facilities, more and more water fountains also have a water-bottle friendly water dispenser so there’s no excuse to not carry around a water bottle and re-fill it. I know I use the same Camelbak water bottle every day and refill it in a water fountain or my home faucet. I realize it’s not a huge help to our world, but the more people that use their water bottle, the less bottled water we waste.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s lecture focused on different forms of trash and pollution. One part revolved around the idea of cargo containers and how many are produced and reused. Architects have now devised ways to reuse these containers by building houses and apartments using them just as is with hardly any energy put into altering their design. I was amazed at how cheap these were to ship, Joe had stated there were about six thousand containers per ship and it only costs about two cents per kilo.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly enough, we also spent quite a bit of time talking about Dr. Seuss’, The Lorax. I was never aware of the controversy surrounding the book nor that Dr. Seuss was politically outspoken. Looking back on the story today got me realizing just how controversial the story was. There was once a beautiful land until the “Once-ler” began making thneeds using a special type of tree. Eventually there were no more trees and people began moving away from this place. Only the Once-ler remained when a young boy asked him the story of the now demolished land. Following the story, the Once-ler gave the boy the last existing seed of the trees he destroyed and it was now his responsibility to rebuild what the Once-ler destroyed. I hadn’t realized how unfair it was that all of this pressure for rebuilding such a place was put upon the small boy. I think it is a bit silly that this story would be banned from libraries and other places throughout the country especially since the chances of a small child making the connection between this book and the real world is very slim.
Kaiti Marek
ReplyDelete4, October 2010
ARTDES 250: SEC4
I thought that the most interesting, and also disturbing part of lecture this week was hearing about humans’ effects on marine life. The ocean is one of the least explored places left on Earth and I find it sad that we are systematically destroying something that we know relatively little about. It was alarming to hear about the dramatic decrease in the size of marine life since we have had commercial fishing. We are essentially counteracting what we want, large fish, by killing far too many of them. The fact that it has gotten to the point that people have genetically engineered salmon to be bigger says a lot about our consumerist culture. We fish so much that there are no more big fish. So instead of using our vast scientific knowledge to try to save the natural fish that we have, we decide to make mutant fish instead.
The size rule for sport fishing is something that I never really thought about before this lecture. Most of my family sport fishes, and some of my relatives own charter fishing companies. It always seemed to make sense to throw the little fish back, but Joe said that this practice only breeds smaller fish because fishermen take all of the fish that are ready to breed, and leave only the ones that are too young. Of course, every fisherman wants to catch a “whopper.” When my brother and dad catch big fish, the whole family gets excited, and we take the standard pictures of them holding their catch to post on facebook so all of our friends can see what great fishermen they are. I never thought that catching large fish was doing significant damage to the fish population. Next time my brother catches a big fish, it will be hard for me to feel proud of him.
Jared Salinger Sect 004 10-04-10
ReplyDeleteAhh, depletion. We are depleting our Rainforests and bird life with coffee, our freshwater resources, our oil and our plastics with bottled water, and the diversity, numbers, and size of our fish. I have never been a coffee drinker, and after that lecture, I’m pretty sure that I never will be either. The lecture unfolded like a cheesy horror film, where the unfolding of the plot was too obvious, coming to a plotting, screeching crescendo. Coffee started off as a dear plant, one that intertwined with the family life and cultural life of its growers. I was impressed to see how dear these people were to their work. As economic debt hit the tropics, coffee was scoped out as a new cash crop to lift the tropics out of its slump. Coffee genes were found that were faster growing and greater harvesting, so of course, governments around the world flipped the switch to give life to Frankenstein. These “superior” plants needed direct sunlight, so the previously lush, diverse rainforests were paved way to support these coffee plantations. People’s way of life for hundreds of years was destroyed. Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides were applied liberally, keeping this strange creation alive. People around the world collectively raised their heads in wonderment as they watched migrating bird populations dwindle, asking where did they go, only to realize the home of the birds was being destroyed. I was impressed at people’s response, in how they were able to mobilize an economic force of shade-grown coffee on to the market again. It just goes to show that if people want something badly enough in a capitalistic economy, people will have it.
James
ReplyDeleteChoose plastic bags over paper shocked me. I never thought about the energy that it takes to make the product, or the NUMBER of times it can be recycled. I only really considered if it could be recycled or not. So much research about everything has to go into making environmental decisions. The point about permanent materials for temporary products was a good one and applies greatly to packaging. So many products are packaged in materials that are hard to recycle and are not biodegradable, it’s hard to think of many things can are packaged so that there is no waste. I also always thought that bottled water as a good thing to use, or at least OK. I guess I never put too much thought into it but it does make sense that tap water is such a better decision, especially in a place like Michigan where water isn’t a very big concern.
Speaking of water I was also shocked at how little water is available on the planet. I could believe that the diagram shown in lecture is showing fresh water but that it is showing all of the water on the planet is incredible. And that Michigan’s lakes hold 20% of the world’s fresh water is also a staggering statistic. Although the Great Lakes are larger than some Seas in the world water supply just seems surprisingly inaccurate when put into numbers. And if Michigan has so much then why is it so bad that other states want to use our water? Or is the energy used to ship bottled fresh water more than what it takes to desalinate salt water? Is desalination a difficult or costly process? I feel like it should be more widely practiced. And if it is, why then is fresh water such a commodity?
I have heard of the large area of waster in the water above Hawaii before. I wonder if it will ever be cleaned up. It seems like such a huge undertaking that would take a huge amount of time, money and other resources. It sounds the cleanup would be an endeavor that would take several lifetimes, not to mention the source of the problem would need to be fixed first.
I feel like the communities filled with garbage need to be helped soon, because if electronic waste is a major contributor they will be growing very fast. Electronics go out of date so fast and are replaced so soon that if a communities major problem is based off of electronic waste they will be encountering more and more of it as time goes on. These sorts of places though I feel can be more easily fixed that many other environmental problems.
I had never thought of the Lorax in the terms that it was discussed in lecture. I barely even remember the story from when I was a kid, and it seems like it was written more for the parents reading it to their children than for the children themselves. I usually only hear of generational responsibility in terms of money and debt, but it applies to global state as well.
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ReplyDeleteHannah Ryou
ReplyDeleteSection 4
It is precisely products like coffee that make me understand the importance of buying local produce. When we physically witness how our food is produced (where it comes from and what circumstances/environment it grows in) it challenges consumers to really pay attention to the details. The importing/shipping of produce over long distances is a crucial environmental issue but I also see a very fascinating psychological aspect.
The saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is very applicable here. Fundamentally, humans are excited and motivated by knowledge; knowing something, engages our mind, actually interests us. Knowing our food comes from a close location keeps us in the know and allows consumers to be engaged/interested with what they are buying. Also, if the produce is coming from somewhere near, it gives an added sense of satisfaction or security to be able to imagine the product’s environment—most likely it will not be largely different from the consumer’s home and so the image is tangible and realistic.
But when produce/products come from an obscure location which we as consumer’s have never set eyes on, being ‘in the know’ goes out the window. How do we know who the farmers are, how the produce is cared for, and what economical/ethical issues there are? What we imagine the product/farmer’s environment to be like will be, to a great extent, fictional, an image created by things we hear and assume, but not know. Unfortunately, this anonymity then could evolve into apathy: ‘I don’t know, so why would I care’. It’s a fallacy of the human mind, unfortunate but true.
It is a consumer-initiated desire to know (to be aware), that will serve as a stepping stone to solving many of the ecological/ethical issues that we face today.
Eliana Gershon
ReplyDeleteADP 3: Section 4
October 4th, 2010
I was particularly intrigued (and disgusted, and terrified) by last week's lecture on seafood. I typically consume fish once or twice a week (usually tuna, but fancier options when my parents are doing the cooking) and I was shocked by some of the information presented.
First of all, I had always heard about mercury in fish, but the dangerous amounts in some was nearly nauseating. I am definitely going to be keeping the little fish facts booklet given to us in class to use as a reference from now on.
Secondly, the ineffective and detrimental practices of fisherman is scary. It makes me wonder why the government is not more involved with regulations and prevention of harmful effects to the environment and the animals that live in it. The turtle trap is clever, but is that seriously the best option that engineers can come up with? In this day and age of technology, most engineers are so focused on computer technology, that most of them are numb to the basics. They can't think with nature-oriented minds, which is the reason for a lot of the miserably designed technology these days meant to serve the world around us.
Finally, the inconsiderate nature of the whole seafood market is appalling. Fish getting smaller and smaller is a direct result of seafood companies inability to research or care about evolutionary patterns and ecosystems. Additionally, the artificial coloring and beefing up of fish is almost enough to make me stop eating fish all together. What is it with this country's fascination with packaging? Why do we care so much about look that suppliers are willing to forgo flavor and health content in order to make the sale.
Overall, the lecture left me with a lot to think about--specifically,why I am drawn to certain things over others. Is it purely because I value its physical attractiveness over functionality or content? Perhaps.
Liz Ritenour
ReplyDeleteADP III
Section 004
Weekly Statement
As with most other students, Professor Trumpey’s discussion on the consumption of coffee in the U.S. resonated most with me. It is a topic that applies directly to me, considering that I drink about two cups of coffee per day. With many other environmental issues, we do not see how the issue is specifically relevant to us – but as college students, in particular, we are intentionally consuming a great deal of coffee every day in order to keep up with our lifestyles.
It is a vicious cycle, as well. Many of us have trained our minds and bodies to feel that we “need” coffee in order to function, so we continue to drink large amounts of coffee and thus continue to think we need it. It is to the point that coffee is expected to be available anywhere at all times, and in certain places like New York City, there are often several coffee shops at a single intersection (and sometimes several Starbucks in the same block).
I do not personally care if my coffee comes from down the street or if it is, as Starbucks advertises, imported from Ethiopia. I also do not think that the average American would know the difference. Yet, because this is the type of coffee made readily available to us, we continue to buy it because it is there. It is also interesting that big companies like Starbucks are so successful, because if price is so important to the consumer, it is odd how much people are willing to continually pay for these big name coffee products. Economy is often what environmental issues come down to, but in the case of coffee, most people do not seem to be deterred by price. In this case, this could be beneficial to changing the coffee industry. People will continue to buy it, even if the prices go up.
Brooke Adams
ReplyDeleteWeekly Statement
ADP III section 4
In my freshman year of college I was shown a documentary on water, titled Flow, which talked about privatizing water. The film touched on water bottling plants around the great lakes and on a poor city in South America that was located down stream of a slaughter house, contaminating the water and leaving the poor citizens with no ability to get fresh, clean water- something they couldn’t afford to buy. This documentary also talked about golf courses in the southwest and how they can and will effectively consume the southwestern water supply. I watched this documentary over two years ago and I still remember the topics spoken of. This film will forever be engrained in my mind, possibly because I found the reality of how scarce water is to be terrifying; although, the very real prospect of this natural resource turning into a billion dollar business is also nauseating and could be the reason behind the impact of this film. Regardless of why this film has stuck with me, I was amazed on Monday to realize how relevant and important the lecture topic of water is. The fact that water is a limited resource in not something we think about, especially while living in Michigan. Our society needs a wake up call before it’s too late. The fact that there are people within US borders that want and need the water of the Great Lakes to be transported over the country is terrifying. I don’t understand why some think it’s okay to tamper so drastically with nature. There are always coincidences for everything. Emptying the Great Lakes is no exception.