Leftovers, remains and waste are the themes of Traces of Consumption. This show aims to deal with ideas around food consumption, waste and residue. The works in the show all represent ways artists engage with the equipment used for consumption, the process of food production and the slightly revolting outcomes.
The process of food production is evident in Helen Appel’s traces of food preparation in her “Chopping Board” paintings and Untitled Sweeping works. Hayley Tompkins’ work re-appropriates the cutlery used to eat to become something not to be held in the hand but to be admired by the eyes - a distraction from the food it is suppose to be a tool for.
Jack Lavender’s banner depicting a spent campfire with packaging from food is evidence of the plastic packaging found in every modern wasteland. In comparison, Hannah Lees’ bone necklaces allude to consumption from the past, the bones found on the banks of the Thames River. Excessive over-consumption is evident in Stuart Cumberland’s champagne bottle and seems to be the start of a kind of narrative ending with Puppies Puppies bottles of urine.