In a complex and globalized world it has become increasingly difficult to trace the lines that link raw materials with producers, products and consumers. Designer Christien Meindertsma has published an intelligent project that attempts to chart this phenomena. An extensive collection of photographic images has been assembled that document the mind-boggling array of various products that different parts of an anonymous pig called 05049 could support. A visual essay without moral undertones, this complete image of what the pig means to mankind provides a timely serving of food for thought.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a highly interesting book,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Christien Meindertsma PIG 05049 (Paperback)
... and an art project both useful (i.e. objectively informative) and inspriring.
Some aspects: - apart from a short foreword and author's "explanation" at the end, the book contains 185 double pages. On each right page, you will find a picture of the end product made from pig #05049. The corresponding page on the left carries a very short written description of the final pig product and its use for human consumption or other consumptive/industrial uses. Some pictures extend over both right and left pages. Each right page shows the accumulated weight of the pig's parts shown so far in grams, eventually adding up to the 103,700 grams which pig #05049 weighed at the time of its slaughter. The book also contains an index for quick reference, plus a genealogical map of the product categories, and a map showing the products' places of origin in the pig's body. IMHO, the written explanations should have digged a lot deeper, carrying more information about the respective products and involved industries. The book is less of a "read" than rather of a "look". - the author takes a highly commendable neutral, factual stance, herself advocating neither vegetarianism nor the meat industry. It's ultimately sober, leaving it to the consumers of this piece of art to make up their own hearts and minds about the subject. No lecturing, no preaching, no patronizing, no advertizing. The impression left by the book and its subject matter is 100% up to the reader and his/her individual value preferences. In that sense, the book depicts reality in a way which reflects the individual beholder, like a true piece of art. I got both hungry and quite grateful towards pig 05049 (and its millions of sisters) for contributing so much to my life in comfort. - My book (3rd imprint, October 2009) is not covered in pig skin (just cardboard and paper), nor is it numbered. I wonder to what extent the cheap appearance justifies the price. - While this would, admittedly, not be very ingenious, similar works on cattle and chicken (for example) would be very interesting to me, too. They should just go substantially deeper on the research side (see above).
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant and Elegant,
By
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This review is from: Christien Meindertsma PIG 05049 (Paperback)
This book proves that a picture is worth a thousand words. You can read every book about the modern food industry, but it is this photo essay that most brilliantly and elegantly captures the entire "food" chain.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
highly interesting & unusual book,
By Dr. Dirk Husemann (CH-8840 Einsiedeln, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Christien Meindertsma PIG 05049 (Paperback)
PIG 05049 was a fun book to browse through --- it's not really a book for cover-to-cover reading. it's fascinating to see where poor pig 05049 ended up and at times quite astonishing and unexpected (keyword: bread).
a real pig-out :-)
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