OUGD505 - Initial Thoughts & Ideas

I watched Cowspiracy earlier this year and it absolutely fascinated me. I had learnt about similar issues when studying Geography and science at sixth form and have always had a keen interest in issues surrounding the environment and climate change. Cowspiracy does not aim to scare you, it simply attempts to throw light on the damaging effects of mass agriculture, especially the meat and dairy industries. It doesn't condescend or preach, it is just there to illuminate people's minds, opening our eyes to the impact that modern human civilisation is having on our home planet. 

The documentary tackles some pretty controversial issues surrounding food production and its impacts on the environment and contributions to man induced climate change, and a lot of people will probably watch it in a cynical stance and will go in with a closed mind. That is the wrong way to view a film of this nature. It is always a good idea to be open minded, something I want to promote and encourage in my work for this brief. 

My theme of exploration:

I want to produce work that makes people think a little about where their food comes from and what impact their food has on the environment before it arrives on their plate. The content of the work will draw a lot of inspiration from Cowspiracy. I don’t want to preach about vegan-ism or vegetarianism because I don’t personally agree with that. That is up to an individual to choose to adopt that diet/lifestyle.

What I want to do is to educate and enlighten people about the impacts of various food productions on our fragile environment, ultimately encouraging people to think twice before choosing to consume certain products such as meat, fish and dairy products. 

I have been making a concious effort to cut down my meat consumption since starting Level 05 back in September, my ultimate aim is to one day become completely vegetarian. At the moment, I eat meat when I feel like it, which is usually once or twice a week. Making this change has actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be, and if I can do it, I believe any one can.

I see my work taking many routes, including a fan zine style publication, a series of them most likely. As well as campaign posters, flyers, banners, digital promotion, guerrilla style printed matter, anything that will catch the attention of a wide group of people.