MaterialDistrict

The meat project

Code
ONA604
Country
Netherlands
Brand
Isaac Monté

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- story by MaterialDistrict

Every year tons of food are being thrown away by supermarkets, because the food expires before it is sold. For this project, Isaac Monté re-used expired meat from supermarkets. By taking the material out of its context and reframing it, he wants to create awareness around issues of waste in relation to meat production, distribution and consumption, and to show the urgency of change in those practices. The expired pieces of meat are decellularised in a laboratory. In this procedure – that is currently being used in the latest research on tissue regeneration – meat loses all its cellular content, turns transparent white, feels rubbery and gets the looks of marble. Monté discovered that this recycled raw material can be shaped, dried, glued, dyed and stretched. By applying this technique, he is not only changing the look and shape of meat, but above all its meaning.

The result is a series of lighting objects; their shape is inspired by Escherichia coli, a bacteria that lives in meat and causes meat spoilage after a certain period. Commissioned by and in collaboration with BioArt Laboratories.

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