A disaster waiting to happen
Big or small/personal or global. This project is about causing consternation and anxiety among the populous. It can be reactionary or be subtly understated. Your project will contain a solution to the problem that arrises.
One of my favourite types of literature is one that portrays a dystopian future, therefore a project that is about future disasters was something I felt naturally at home with. From 1984 by George Orwell, to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick, my fascination with a future that has gone so wildly wrong is boundless. Most recantly I read Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'. The Road is a story of a father and son travelling accross a wasteland that is scorched and nearly berifit of all life, after some either natural or man made disaster. One particular scene really resonated with me; the father and son had found an empty house, and set about searching it for food. They noticed a cellar door in the kitchen, and on opening it, found a collection of humans being kept prisoner, some with body parts hacked off but still alive, all emaciated. These humans were being kept as a food source by a cannibal gang. This particular scene really resonated with me - would I resort to the same tactics if I was starving - at what point does that become something you feel is acceptable to do?
Cannibalism is something that used to be fairly widespread until around the 19th Century is parts of the South Pacific and tropical Africa. In Melanesia there was instances of indigenous flesh-markets. More recantly is has occured in wars in Liberia and Congo although this was strenuously condemned. The only known tribes that are believed to carry on the practice are the Korowai and some Melanesian tribes. This got me to thinking about what would happen if natural food sources started to fun out? If we couldnt synthasise some sort of tenable alternative would we start harvesting humans? And who would the first to go.
Of course, as with most things, if someone saw profit it in, it would natually turn into a business, and be marketed to seem a much more socially acceptable thing to do. And who would naturally be behind this than the symbol of all corporate greed and evil, but everyones favourite fast food restaurent McDonalds.It already has thay "I shouldnt, but I want to appeal" so would therefore easily make the natural transference into human meat.
I turned this idea into three difference posters and a book aimed at children to the nursery rhymes 'Old McDonald had a farm'. The posters all carry a the distinctive brilliant reds and bright yellow from their own branding, and depecit Ronald McDonald holding a finger and human heart, a dissection of the human body as if it was food (normally done when showing the different cuts of beef available) and a re-hased 'Happy Meal' with tongue burger, finger fries and a blood milkshake. Delicious.
The book was made as a nod to the use of books to tell children something that may be difficult for them to hear in a friendly, sing-song way. I drew images of animals and intspersed them with the Old McDonald had a farm rhyme that I slightly re-styled. My version is as follows:
Old McDonald had a farm,
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
And on the farm he had some Cows,
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
He had some pigs and chickens to,
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
But then those animals started to die,
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
So what did old McDonald do,
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
He started farming humans too,
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
And soon Ronald came a knockin'
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
"Let's take these humans and make some profit"
ey-ei-ey-ei-oh
