7,000 years ago, Mexican farmers domesticated the maize plant, turning it from a simple grass into an edible grain. Over the course of thousands of years, corn provided vital nourishment for the people of North, Central, and South America, eventually spreading throughout the world and becoming a staple crop of the farming industry. But now the crop is more than just a source of nourishment — it is an integral aspect of almost every human’s life. The industry of corn farming, which yearly produces 880 million tons of the crop, is wrapped up in myriad different issues: rising costs of food production, confrontations with seed companies, consumers not understanding where their food comes from, obesity and malnutrition, the loss of the family farm, unemployment migration, economic autonomy, developments in fuel production, and global warming. And while it is necessary to take note of all of these points of contention, understanding can only take place upon the recognition of the space between the issues — the space between the people, the animals and the land. At best, these pictures are brief conversations, perhaps food for thought.
NORA CHOVANEC DESIGN 