The Food Change Project

 I loved Anne’s evolution from the gallery to the street and how she highlighted that it was a special transition for her as she begun to think of her new audience and the diversity of it. I think it’s also very suiting of her personality and design points as she mentioned the importance of positivity, representation and joy. I think design that implements those themes is the most important to be showcased on our streets and for the public, because it can have such a strong impact upon the viewer. And it might make an impact upon an audience member who never would’ve though about attending a gallery or art museum in the first place. Anne’s shift actually prompted a connection with me to a recent movie I watched with my girlfriend called “The Menu”. Without giving away any spoilers, the movie was about a world-class chef, someone who had surpassed all of his peers to be considered the greatest of all time. The chef was so good that an investor gave him a private island restaurant that featured an eco system in which the chef could gather and farm all the ingredients he would need to cook. Of course this was an expensive endeavor for the investor and thus was an expensive product for the consumer. The chef grew unhappy with his arrangement, despite being able to create the best food possible. The reason was because his audience was no longer one that was able to appreciate what it was he was creating. They were rich elitist who ate at the restaurant for the status symbol. They couldn’t remember the dishes they were served despite being told down to the last ingredient. The chef felt as though he had longer been impacting people’s lives through his food, and all the joy he received from cooking was gone. And so I share Anne’s appreciation for street art and street design, because it’s completely unbiased for the most part. Anyone is liable to stumble across your work regardless of status or class. It’s one of the most accessible forms of design and I think it’s important the work reflects positivity, diversity, equity, and growth because that means something to the people who bypass it on their daily routines. 

In projects that utilize pictures for imagery, the photographer is just as important as the graphic designer. If there’s a specific theme, or idea planned for the imagery, often times stock photos simply will not do. They’re broad and generalized images, and the design team has next to no control over the various elements. So it’s extremely important to have a photographer who can work directly with the design team so that they can get the perfect picture. I think Anne established the importance of that when she showed us the many beautiful pictures she had taken that simply wouldn’t be compatible with the project because of the longevity of it. To her and us they were wonderful images, but the design team needed something that could stay current for longer, so there is certainly an importance to that cohesion between photographer and designer. 

The topic of farming and healthy, eco-friendly generated food sources is something that I’m only slightly familiar with. I grew up in a food desert with more liquor stores in my area than grocery stores. These liquor stores often times had no produce but if they did it was almost always brown bananas and divot riddled apples. Ethnic markets were the closet stores my parents were able to purchase produce and they were a godsend for my family. It wasn’t until high school that I really began to learn about urban farms, and the importance of ethical farming practices. It’s a topic that I am intrigued by and I loved how personal Anne and Christies work came off. As a viewer it felt as though I was getting a personal introduction to real farmers who care about the food I am putting into my body. I think this was achieved by listing the name of the subject and the farm the picture was taken at. It was nice to be able to put a face to the name. 

ReWritten:

I thought Anne's transition from the gallery scene to the street was very fitting for her work and personality. She spoke of her personal design values of representing diversity and positivity which is something I think needs to be showcased to the public. Not everyone considers or has an interest in attending galleries or art museums and so the best way to reach a vast audience is to put your work in places they frequently encounter. Street design is easily one of the most accessible forms of art, and I think we are lucky to have Anne's work be apart of it. 

I think Anne really touched on the importance of a photographer working in cohesion with a design team through her experience working with Christie at Super Natural who was in charge of the graphic design elements. While Anne took a number of very fun and beautiful images she showed and explained to us how certain images simply wouldn't work for the project due to the longevity of the installation. All the images needed to feel relevant for years to come and so the playful image of the young child at the repurposed food center who was wearing a pirates costume wouldn't be a viable option. In projects where imagery is done through the use of actual photographs I think the collaboration between photographer and design team is extremely important. Often times stock photos are insufficient for such projects because the desired pictures typically have a general theme or element that can't be controlled when sourcing images from stock websites. It leaves the design team with no control of the imagery content and so a synthesis between photographer and designer is extremely valuable.