PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PORTFOLIO
Chelsea Adams
Annotated Folio
Big Idea - Food Waste
For this assignment, I have selected the main theme of Food Waste as this issue has concerned me ever since working in hospitality and hotel service roles. Witnessing the amount of discarded food was tragic and left feelings of helplessness knowing that I and many other students and families were struggling and continue to struggle with food security. After watching many ABC tv shows such as War on Waste, hosted by Craig Reucassel and discovering the benefits of green waste collection through documentaries on countries like Iceland that collect methane gas from food waste as it decomposes to power electricity; I have discovered that this issue involves political, social, and ethical issues that we continue to grapple with today. Coming back to nature and harnessing its power is something I'm passionate about and as I continue to utilise recycling and a compost bin at home, however, I also believe that society has become engrossed in perfectly sized vegetables and fruits and that because of this we are economically letting down our farmers in their effort to provide food.
Image 1 - Australian Academy of Science
Charities, Donation & Progress
This issue extends beyond the home environment with companies like Oz Harvest founded by Ronnie Kahn that focus on rescuing unwanted food and generating meals and food boxes for people and other groups in need. With bakeries and fresh food retailers being the biggest areas of collection, the food rescued has a lifespan, therefore without the collection much of it would go to waste. Oz Harvest has been running in Australia since 2004, beginning with Ronnie and one van in Sydney; since then, Ronnie and a team of pro-bono lawyers have lobbied the state government to amend legislation allowing potential food donors to give their surplus food to charities without fear of liability. As a result the Civil Liabilities Amendment Act was passed in NSW in 2005 and other states continued to follow to allow the collection and donation of food (Oz Harvest Inc, 2023). During 2020 the Kensington Market donated an area to OzHarvest to open their first market stall with a difference. A policy of take what you need and give what you can was implemented and highly successful enabling community relationships along the way.
This tape developed by Oz Harvest is a visual reminder households to use up their food. It can be purchased via their website for the cost of shipping only.
Charities, Donation & Progress
This issue of food security became highlighted during the pandemic with groups like foodbank providing fresh and pantry staples to those in need for free. Their Melbourne based warehouse contains pallets of freely donated food that gets packaged by volunteers and sent off to charities, schools and individuals requiring food security. During my time on my last 4-week placement all my money went to bills, rent, fuel and or medication leaving a drastic whole in my ability to purchase any fresh food. I journeyed out to the warehouse district of Melbourne to their office where I was greeted by Josephine the administration coordinator who explained that the warehouse is the drop point and smaller businesses connected to the salvation army, red cross and other charities provide good and services. Jo reassured me that package would be created for me in the next 20 min and then she proceeded to walk it out to my car with me. Below is a picture of the food I was provided entirely for free; I was overwhelmed. In the day following I received an email from Jo with the search service and information on where I can find services closer to me next time, I thanked her by email and organised time to volunteer at the warehouse. The act of providing me services without questioning or judgement changed something in me that day.
Food I was provided by Foodbank during my time of need.
Selected Art Works
The first series of three photographs I have selected are titled Rotting Food; created by Klaus Pichler.
The medium within this artwork is in fact the food itself with time being used as an element to capture, through photography, the decomposition process, the mysterious and surprising colours, textures, and shapes that appear.
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Time has impacted this artwork and been a catalyst for change showing the process that is often now hidden within our compost bins and trash. It exposes the raw beauty of nature and all the elements that compound to reintegrate a living thing back into the soil of the earth. The images reveal what 9 months looks like in the aspect of rotting food. Klaus turned the bathroom of his studio apartment into a curated collection of plastic containers, each container with food items available to the average citizen. The strawberries were the fastest to rot only taking 2 weeks with the smell of the kitchen keeping him up for two days. Klaus’s work plays on the statistic related to one third of food produced for human consumption goes to waste no matter how rich or poor the country is. This is due to factors such as consumer decisions and lack of distribution channels, while over nine hundred million people are starving world-wide. These images seek to be a visual representation of this study’s findings.
“I remember the Greek noodles,” he says, “It was really strange because I stored it and there was nothing for almost one week,” he recalls, “It was a Friday evening, and I detected some small white spots. Then I left for two days in the country and when I came back it looked like the noodles had a fur coat. So incredibly strange and it happened so fast. I was really stunned by that one.”
Klaus describes the progress as a chemistry set for adults with the process of discovering mould and rot and colours and shapes with each passing day.
Klaus Pichler is represented by Anzenberger Gallery. His book, One ThirdOne Third, was published in 2013.
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Pineapple
Greek Noodles
Strawberries
Selected Art Works
The second series of three photographs I have selected are titled Edible if you like it; created by Sole `ne Riff and Rocio Chacon. The medium within this artwork is also food. Grapefruit types of berries, pomegranate, and vegetables upon a mirrored surface. As they are left to grow mould the surface was photographed on a micro lens to juxtapose the insignificant colour details and patterns that emerge and refract on the surface, generating a kind of beauty that may not be noticeable to the naked eye. “This story of glossy and saturated images with appetizing colours and dripping textures” is a representation of the abstract world that our food inhabits. It highlights food as a living thing revealing new dimensions with the unfolding of the visuals resulting from foraging in urban or natural spaces. Exploring food remains in this context delves into the microcosms that are created within foods as they degrade. The combination of the materials and the reflective surface contrast providing a shimmering quality that intensifies the foods natural elements. “Through these compositions Rocio is interested in exploring the details and form of bodies both human and more-than-human, their moving lines, curves, colours and shadows”. The two artists speak of visual appetite within art making and how this is the current challenge when creating art; generating a visual that can hold the attention of viewers. The world of food to them is one of the most fascinating of the natural realms where people synaesthetic perception of the world comes together with the visual, smell and taste. The goal was to generate appetising messages from the foraged food. Experimentation was a key process when photographing the food with both artists working together.
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Art Making Process
Both these series of photographs have inspired me as visual stimulus to develop a collage commenting on to political and social elements of food waste. Collage as an artform will also reflect the many layers of this issue and how the overlap with one another. Collage itself was introduced to me during lockdown as a way to pass time and utilise my many Frankie magazines I had collected during my teen years. Examples of my previous work have dealt with humanity and all the many parts that make up a person. I plan to continue this theme in my new work for this assignment.
Previous Collage Art Work
- Be Kind -
- Blessed with Beauty, and Beautiful Swords -
- Thousands of Fragments We are Made of -
- Pow wow, The Banana Shot the Bird at the Cabana -
- Hello,
Profound Change -
- Riding Waves -
Art Making Process
Part 1: Gathering Resources
This process involved going through my art and collage box that contains paper, patterns, pencils, and other media. Finding some modgepodge glue a paintbrush a knife cutter, cutting matt as well as scissors were the tools needed to complete my artwork.
Part 2: Preparing and
Structuring Media
I then filtered through the collage paper to find words and images of things relevant to the war on waste topic.
After doing this I proceeded to carefully cut them out either using scissors or the Stanly knife tool with the cutting mat. I lay them out on a black piece of paper which is the surface I will create my collage on.​
Part 3: Exploring Media
Design & Intention
Selecting and arranging the elements on the page, looking at the composition and its message saw me design many options and layers for the piece until I decided on one.
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I then had to organise them in strategic layers to glue them down to generate the effect I so desired.
Part 4: Finalising with
Mixed Media
To finalise my art-making process I utilised white pencil on black paper to generate shadow on the word waste. I also chose to underlay the drawing of a tree with no leaves to symbolise the degradation of nature.
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The use of the black paper in my work was strategic to draw attention to and disguise certain parts and political statements in the work.
Title:
Wasting Politics - Food Wars
Development for Primary Students
Year 5 Art Inquiry
Click to watch the lesson hook
Areas of The Victorian Curriculum Covered
Critical and Creative Thinking
In Levels 5 and 6, the curriculum focuses on developing the knowledge, skills and understanding to test the strength of thinking. Students develop their capacity to deliberately manage their thinking. Students explore common errors that can occur in thinking.
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English
In Levels 5 and 6, students communicate with peers and teachers from other classes and schools, community members, and individuals and groups, in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments.
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Visual Arts
In Levels 5 and 6, students explore how and why artists, craftspeople, and designers realise their ideas through different visual forms, practices, and processes. They develop conceptual and expressive skills. As they make and respond to visual artworks, students explore a diversity of ideas, concepts, and viewpoints. They draw ideas from other artists, artworks, symbolic systems, beliefs and visual arts practices in other cultures, societies, and times.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Food Waste
This opening lesson introduces the learners to this issue and allows them time to inquire and ask questions as they explore the skills required for collage also.
Victorian Curriculum Covered
Critical and creative Thinking
- Examine how different kinds of questions can be used to identify and clarify information, ideas and possibilities (VCCCTQ021)
- Identify and form links and patterns from multiple information sources to generate non-routine ideas and possibilities (VCCCTQ023)
English
- Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources (VCELY319)
Visual Arts
- Explore visual arts practices as inspiration to create artworks that express different ideas and beliefs (VCAVAE029)
- Select and apply visual conventions, materials, techniques, technologies and processes specific to different art forms when making artworks (VCAVAV030)
Lesson 1 Plan
Lesson 2: Reducing Food Waste at Home
This lesson develops learners understanding of food wase within contexts related to their homes and life continuing to explore collage and brainstorming.
Victorian Curriculum Covered
Critical and Creative Thinking
- Investigate thinking processes using visual models and language strategies (VCCCTM029)
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English
- Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text structures and language features on particular audiences (VCELT314)
Visual Arts
- Explore visual arts practices as inspiration to create artworks that express different ideas and beliefs (VCAVAE029)
- Select and apply visual conventions, materials, techniques, technologies and processes specific to different art forms when making artworks (VCAVAV030)
Lesson 2 Plan
Lesson 3: Food Waste Awareness Campaign
This lesson explores learners developing a food waste awareness campaign utilising their collage skills and drawing on presentation skills.
Victorian Curriculum Covered
Critical and Creative Thinking
Investigate thinking processes using visual models and language strategies (VCCCTM029)
Experiment with alternative ideas and actions by setting preconceptions to one side (VCCCTQ022)
English
Understand, interpret and experiment with sound devices and imagery, including simile, metaphor and personification, in narratives, shape poetry, songs, anthems and odes (VCELT316)
Visual Arts
Explore visual arts practices as inspiration to create artworks that express different ideas and beliefs (VCAVAE029)
Create and display artwork considering how ideas can be expressed to an audience (VCAVAP031)
Lesson 3 Plan
