Poultry

This piece was conceived and created by Nathan Wells and consists of an uncooked chicken submerged in fiberglass resin in a metal cooking tray. The work speaks of the modification of modern food and in this case highlights the meat industry. There is a great deal of contrast between the two realms of purpose but, they are all very closely related. To begin I would like to make the distinction between the pan and chicken (a common sight in the domestic world) and the resin that occupies the outer layer of the chicken and rests in the pan. The chicken at first stands out because it is perceivably a natural form. Behind the creation of this chicken is the industry. The chicken in the pan is a symbol of the removal from nature. The mass of chickens raised today are in factory settings where they are given little more than a space in which is to be occupied by a number. The machines and workers are to meet a quota of production and the only way to do this is to carry out systematic slaughter.

This final image of the chicken at first glance appears to be what it is but the layer of resin to solidify its place and the hardened resin represents the violence in its veiled form because it is acceptable because it is given a theme, as put by Donna Haraway.

Another interesting factor of this piece was the fact that the chicken decayed. The factor was only apparent by the smell of it, relating to the nature of the factories themselves. At a distance, this displayed a moist chicken in a pan but upon further inspection the viewer experiences a deeper sensation and reflection. The bone structure is recognizable all of the parts are present, it is a matter of awareness for the "veil" of resin. Food production all over the world is dominated by synthetic or artificially created assets. The chickens eat "feed corn" which is made up of genetically modified (TMS Texas Male Steril) corn grown using many chemical fertilizers. The process of harvesting the corn, shipping it to the farm-factories, distributing it to the chickens, raising and slaughtering the chickens, all used fossil fuels. The point being that commercially grown food have varying degrees of unnatural additives that are not advertised and consumers are generally not asking questions. Consumers are generally ignorant of the fact that sustainability in agriculture is important and these shiny, wrapped up meats are consuming more amounts of energy and resources than more think.