Every year tons of food are being thrown away by supermarkets, because the food expires before it is being sold. For this project I re-use expired meat from supermarkets. By taking the material out of its context and reframing it I want 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 get decellularized upon a laboratory treatment. 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. I discovered that this recycled raw material can be shaped, dried, glued, dyed and stretched. By applying this technique I am 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.
The second outcome is a series of vessels made out of the same material, their shape inspired by laboratory vessels.
The second outcome is a series of vessels made out of the same material, their shape inspired by laboratory vessels.
More info: ateliermonte.com
These vases made out of decellularized bacon
I have gathered a bunch of expired bacon for making of lamps and vases
Firstly meat is put into a jar to be decellularized
Once it's dried and decellularized, lamps and vases can be made
Few more vases
Three lamps made out of bacon. Their shape inspired by E. Coli
Decellularized bacon
Two halves combined makes one lamp
Fixing two halves with another layer of bacon
